Forbidden Love
by BlckMagik
Summary: Sequel. Zuko is now Fire Lord, married to Mai, with kids. Then Jet returns. Zuko needs to sort out his feelings and decide who he wants to be with. In order to win his love over, Jet searches for Ursa. But who will Zuko choose? Maiko. Jezu. JetxZukoxMai
1. An Old Flame Returns

5 Years Later

Zuko stood on the Fire Nation Palace balcony off his bedroom, and stared up into the night sky. He clutched the golden railing with his hands and sighed, looking up at the full moon standing out amongst the black sky. Tiny stars here and there dotted the heavens and seemed to lead the eye to it's prize possession; the moon.

It had been five long years since Zuko had last laid eyes on Jet, but he hadn't forgotten what he looked like. Whenever he closed his eyes, he could see the teen's mischievous smile, his beautiful eyes, his shaggy brown hair...his lips...

Whenever he concentrated he could feel the teen up against him...his body...his breath...

So many dreams including the two...wonderful, amazing dreams...but none as great as the real thing...

So long had Zuko gone without laying eyes on Jet...but he hadn't forgotten him. He hadn't given up hope. Jet was out there, he knew it...he would wait an eternity to be with him...

...but that wasn't an option...

The door to the balcony flung open and two kids ran through; a four year old boy, and a three year old girl clutching a small doll. The boy chased the girl out onto the balcony; Zuko turned his head to look at them, and smiled.

"Daddy, daddy!" the little girl exclaimed, hiding behind Zuko's legs.

"What is it, Ursa?" Zuko asked his daughter.

"Brother said that if I don't give him my dollie to sacrifice, that the night monster will come and eat me!" she wrapped herself around Zuko's legs as he smiled and patted her on the head.

"Honey, there's no such thing as monsters, okay?" he turned to the little boy, "Iroh, apologize to your sister."

Iroh shook his head and scrunched his nose.

Zuko shot him a warning look, "Iroh, now."

His son rolled his eyes and sighed, "Okay, okay. Sorry, Ursa."

"Hmpf," she turned her chin away and crossed her arms.

Zuko chuckled, "Now, kids, it's late, go back to bed."

"No!" Iroh shouted, pouting.

"Iroh," Zuko raised his eyebrows, "what did we discuss about talking back to your father?"

Iroh exhaled exasperatedly, "Sorry, father."

Zuko smiled, amused, "That's better. Now, off to bed."

Iroh kicked at the floor, "Fine."

"You too, sweetie," Zuko said smiling down at his daughter, "there's nothing to worry about. It's safe. There are no monsters."

Iroh slammed the balcony door shut after him, angry that once again, he hadn't gotten his way.

Ursa blinked, unsure, "I guess. But just in case, can I sleep with you?"

"Well..." Zuko smiled, "just for tonight, okay?"

"Yay!" she smiled largely and hugged his legs.

"You go on inside," Zuko kissed her on the forehead and steered her towards the door, "and I'll be there in a bit."

"Okay, daddy," she smiled at him, held her doll against her chest, and headed in. Zuko stared after her, then turned back to the moon and smiled sadly, eyeing it like a lost love.

A small sigh escaped his lips and a tear slid down his cheek.

The balcony door creaked slowly open and Mai stuck her head out, "Zuko?"

"Yes, Mai?" he asked, not bothering to turn and face her.

"You should come to bed," she walked out onto the balcony, clearly pregnant, "it's late, and cold." Pulling her robe tighter she shivered.

"I'll be in soon," Zuko turned to her and smiled, "Ursa's sleeping with us tonight. Go in and stay with her before she gets nervous being alone again."

Mai chuckled, "That girl, I'll tell you, she's scared of everything."

"Can't blame her when she grew up with Iroh."

Mai smiled and touched his arm, "Why do you always come outside and stare at the moon?"

Zuko's smile dropped from his face and he shrugged, "I'm not sure really," he semi-smiled, in thought, "it just, means something to me. It's beauty..."

"You're out here every night."

"So is the moon."

Mai smiled, "You'll be in soon?"

Zuko nodded, "Yes, just a little bit longer."

"Okay," she placed his hand on her stomach, "say goodnight to little Jet."

Zuko leaned forward and kissed her stomach, "Goodnight. I love you, Jet."

Mai pulled off her robe and handed it to him, "At least wear this, I don't want you to get sick."

"Thank you, honey," Zuko leaned forward and kissed her, "I'll be in soon."

"Okay," Mai smiled and walked off, closing the balcony door gently behind her.

Zuko turned back to the moon and smiled, this time more happily. He tilted his face up to it and closed his eyes, breathing in the fresh night air. He held Mai's robe in his hand; she didn't understand that the cold air was comforting to him, soothing. It chilled his face and bones, adding to the feeling of being drenched in the moon's glow.

After a few more minutes Zuko opened his eyes, and sighed, folding Mai's robe in his arms. He gave one final glance at the moon, then turned and stepped towards the balcony door.

Suddenly, he froze, aware of movement behind him. There was a muffled thump as though someone had jumped and landed, creating the noise upon impact. Before he could react, he was pulled backwards and shoved against the wall; Mai's robe slipped from his fingertips. A pair of eyes, beautiful brown eyes, appeared in front of his own.

"Jet..." Zuko whispered, unable to believe it.

"Hey," Jet whispered back, smiling slyly, "How's my Fire Lord after all these years?"

Zuko smiled in return, "Perfect, now."

Jet pressed his body up against Zuko's and kissed him, the two of them melting into one.

"I have always loved you, Jet."

Their kiss continued on, both of them seeming to glow in the light of the moon. After five years, five long years, Jet had returned for his Prince...

...and his Prince had waited for him.


	2. Meeting on the Balcony

Whee, here it is, the sequel to Unforeseen Love. For those of you who haven't read it, well, go read it. Just remember its JeZu and Maiko so...yeah. lol.

It's going to take me a little bit before I can continue this, because I want to first finish up Sw1tch3d and From Our World To Theirs, and I also need to complete the outline for this story. BUT if all goes well with my idea, there might be something about someone and someone else going to look for someones mother together...lalalalala

Anyway, here you go. Bare in mind I wrote this quickly, before all of you people who had UL as an alert removed it from your list so that you'd never ever find this, so it's kind of crappy.

That's all.

Oh, and...

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. If I did, there would have been a fourth season in which Zuko and Jet discover a love for one another...heh.

READ THIS: ok, i know i already posted this chapter, but if u notice chapter 1 is different now and all, so...go read what it says there so u can understand. XD

* * *

Zuko lay in bed next to Mai, with Ursa curled up between them. Mai's belly forced Ursa to snuggle into her father as she slept. Zuko slowly combed his daughter's hair with his fingers as he watched Mai sleep. Her chest rose and fell with each peaceful breath. The hint of a smile played on her lips, and the thin stream of moonlight shining through the window fell gracefully across her eyes, illuminating them beautifully.

Zuko loved her, but he also loved Jet.

Sighing, he looked away from his wife and planted a tiny kiss on Ursa's forehead. He was so confused. His heart belonged to two different people, but he could only be with one.

Here was Mai, lying in his bed, carrying the third of his children after giving birth to the first two. She was his wife, his Fire Lady, his love. For five years Jet had been almost dead to him. For five years Mai had stuck by his side, giving him children along with her love. Yet every night when the moon was out, Zuko would stand on the balcony and gaze up at it, hoping that his other love would one day return.

And now he had.

Only now, Zuko wasn't sure if he really wanted the man around.

**_

* * *

_****__**

An hour ago...

"I have always loved you, Jet."

The two kissed, embracing each other tightly, afraid to let go. But after a few minutes, Zuko did, lowering his gaze solemnly.

"What is it?" Jet asked, cupping his Fire Lord's chin and turning it up to him.

"Jet, I'm married now," Zuko rested his forehead on the young man's shoulder, "I'm married to Mai. I have two children and a third on the way. I can't betray her, I can't betray my children. I can't be with you."

Jet lowered his gaze, "Zuko…"

"No," Zuko shook his head and pulled away from Jet, turning to look out at the night sky, his back facing the man he loved, "I'm Fire Lord. I have a nation to lead. A nation that looks up to me. Not only can't I cheat on my wife, on Mai, but how can I be with a man? How can my people's Fire Lord be with a man, especially when he's already married?"

Jet stared at Zuko's back, understanding, but not wanting to.

"You love her…"

A pause, and then, "I do. With all my heart."

"But," a nervous breath, "you love me?"

Black hair slightly shifting; a nod. "For all these years, and now."

Jet cupped his face in his hands, exhaled, "I understand. You're married to a woman you love. You don't want to hurt her. You have children with this woman, and you don't want to hurt them. You have a nation to lead, and you don't want them to look down upon you. I understand."

Zuko turned, gazed at him with sorrow-filled eyes, "I'm sorry, Jet."

Jet met his gaze, smiled reassuringly, feebly, straining, "Good-bye, Zuko."

And just like that, he was gone, leaving Zuko to his thoughts, his feelings, his confusion.

* * *

_Jet, _Zuko looked at his wife, closed his eyes and envisioned the young man's face, _I'm so confused. I love you both, but I can only choose one of you… Mai is already mine. The decision has already been made. But…I don't feel like it's the right decision. Yet, when I think about choosing you, Jet, I feel like it's still not the right decision, _Zuko turned over onto his back, gazing up at the ceiling, _I'm so confused…Even though it hurt so much, everything was easier before you returned…I never thought of what I'd do if you returned to me, and now you're here. Both people I love are here, _he thought of Jet's farewell on the balcony, and knew it wouldn't be the last he saw of him, _I need your help, Uncle…_ Zuko closed his eyes, _please; I don't know what to do… _and drifted off.


	3. Ba Sing Se

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar.

BTW: CAN YOU BELIEVE THEY WANT JESSE MCCARTNEY TO PLAY ZUKO? o.O lol

* * *

A month passed with no sign of Jet. Zuko felt relieved that his love had not returned to complicate his life, yet there was an empty abyss where his heart should have been. Each night he would stand out on the balcony, gazing up at the moon even if it was just a sliver. During the day he would endure the typical Fire Lord duties; meetings, peace treaties, and the likes. When he was done with that he would play with Ursa and Iroh, or gently caress Mai's bulging stomach.

"The doctor said everything's fine," Mai whispered to Zuko, keeping her voice low so as to not wake the children, "Two to three more months, and we should have our baby, Jet."

Zuko kissed her, holding her in his arms as best he could with her stomach so large, "Two to three?"

Mai nodded, "He says it's hard to tell, but no sooner then two and no later then three."

Zuko smiled, laying his hand across her stomach.

He was delighted to have Mai, to have another child on the way. His life was perfect, full of health, happiness, and love.

But why, if his life was so perfect, did it feel like a part of him was missing?

Zuko stood on the balcony another night, absentmindedly staring up at the sky. There was no moon tonight.

Ever since Jet had returned, Zuko was aching. When he thought Jet was gone for good, never to return, he was able to go on and make a life for himself. He was able to let go, get married, have fun, and forget (although he never truly forgot, merely just dismissed any thoughts of) Jet. Sure, he would stare up at the moon each night, but that was enough. That was all he needed of his lost love to get by. Now that he knew Jet was out there, knew he could come back at any day, he was unable to rest, unable to get him out of his mind.

He needed to see Jet again, and resolve whatever conflicts he was facing.

He needed Jet's word that he would never see him again, never interrupt and complicate his life ever again!

Zuko sighed, _No_. He loved Jet, and he had to face it. He just needed some help in doing so. Some advice from which to follow. Some comfort when he ripped his own heart in two.

He needed his Uncle.

"You're going to visit Iroh?"

"Yes, I need to speak with him about something important."

Mai frowned, gently fondling her belly, "The baby is due soon, Zuko."

"I'll be back in time, I promise," he kissed her stomach, then her lips.

Mai furrowed her brow at something in Zuko's expression, "I'm coming too."

"Mai you can't travel, you're too pregnant. You need to stay here and rest, okay?" Zuko stroked the side of her face, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear, "It's not a short trip to Ba Sing Se, and I don't want anything to stress you out or make you uncomfortable. Besides, the doctor said you shouldn't travel so far along in your pregnancy."

Mai pouted, "I just…"

"What?"

"I have this weird feeling that I'm going to lose you…"

Zuko looked at her in concern, his own body sending a shiver of agreement through his body. There was a chance she would lose him…

"Mai," Zuko pressed his lips against her forehead, "Mai, Mai, Mai," he looked into her eyes, "I love you forever." _You might lose me…_

"I love you forever, too, Zuko," she embraced him best she could, pulled away and placed a hand on the side of his face, "Come back soon."

Zuko nodded, "I will come back as soon as possible." _I only hope when I return, I am still yours…_

The next day Mai waved goodbye as Zuko set off to Ba Sing Se, to ask his Uncle to help him choose…

"Goodbye, Mai," Zuko whispered, hoping that he would choose her in the end.

His last glimpse of her before she was out of sight showed intense worry, as though she knew she might have just said goodbye to him, forever.

* * *

Note: Yeah, so, I have a few different ways to end this. After, probably, chapter 4 or 5, I'll ask you guys to take a vote on a few options (not all of them tho) and we'll see where it goes.


	4. A Complicated Discussion

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar. If I did, the show would still be going on, I'd be in it, and Zuko and Jet would be my personal slaves :3

No, not in THAT way! -__- perv...

* * *

"Uncle," Zuko embraced the old man with a smile, "it's so good to see you."

"As it is to see you, my nephew," Iroh held Zuko back at arm's length, "is something the matter? Are you here seeking my advice? What is it; politics? War?"

"Nothing like that, Uncle," Zuko smiled, happy to be back with the man who was a father to him, "although I _do_ need your advice."

"Ah, well, is it very important? I'm busy today, but I _do_ want to help."

Zuko looked around him, "Yes, you _are_ busy. So you took the Jasmine Dragon back?"

"It is my life, Zuko," Iroh smiled and called to a customer, "I'll be right with you, sir!"

"Go ahead, Uncle, I understand," Zuko stepped aside and smiled.

Iroh looked him over curiously, "I'll send for my other employees in a bit; I'm very curious to know of what matter you need _my_ advice with. Huo!" he turned to the man behind the counter, "Run down the street and fetch those lazy boys, will you?"

"Yes, sir!" the little man hobbled out from behind the counter and hurried out of the shop.

"If you don't mind, nephew, managing the counter until Huo gets back?"

"Of course not, Uncle." Zuko slipped behind the counter as the next customer approached to pay for his tea and soup. Zuko took his money, thanking him and asking him to come again, then leaned back and watched his Uncle and the two other employees bustle about serving people to the left and right. Zuko smiled; the Jasmine Dragon was doing loads of business. _Good for you, Uncle._

Someone standing before him gasped; "Aren't _you_ Fire Lord Zuko?"

Zuko turned to look at the young woman standing before him, surprised that she had recognized him.

"It _is_ you. You have the scar and _everything._"

Zuko smiled awkwardly, "Hi?"

"What are _you_ doing here?" she asked, her eyes growing as she took him in.

He shrugged, "Helping my Uncle."

"_He's_ your _Uncle_?" she asked, pointing at Iroh.

"Uh, yes."

"_This tea shop is owned by royalty?_"

Zuko took an awkward step back, "Uh, I don't mean to be rude, but why don't you just pay for your meal and stop gawking at me?"

"Lu," a man stepped up next to her, eyeing Zuko oddly, "honey, is this man bothering you? What's taking so long?"

"Honey, honey it's _him._"

"Who?"

"_Fire Lord Zuko_."

The man eyed Zuko suspiciously, "_You're_ the Fire Lord?"

Zuko smiled and shrugged, "Heh."

"You _bastard_."

"Excuse me?" Zuko narrowed his brows in anger.

"It's all because of your family that our people had to _suffer_."

"It's not because of _me_, though!" Zuko shouted back, causing some people to look up from their tea, "I sided with the Avatar! I helped save your asses!"

The man laughed in his face, "Your whole family should _burn_ for what they did to us!"

Zuko's hands balled into fists, his knuckles turning white. From the corner of his eye he saw his Uncle rushing over to him. The front door opened and three people entered. Those at tables closest to him leaned back in their seats. The woman in front of him clutched at her husband, terrified. The man before him glared at him with years of hatred. Zuko opened his mouth to reply, but suddenly his Uncle was between them.

"Let us calm our voices, please. If there has been some sort of mix up or problem allow me to help. If you've simply had a bad meal, then consider it on the house, but I do not appreciate you disturbing the other customers."

"Yeah, whatever," the man slipped an arm around the shoulder of his wife, shot Zuko a last burning look, and hurried out the door, pushing past the three newcomers.

"Come, nephew," Iroh led Zuko into a back room, "my other employees are here, so let us talk."

Zuko bit his lip, "How could someone hate me so much? I thought I did something…_good_."

"You did, my nephew," Iroh sat on a little couch, patting the cushion next to him, "some people just haven't gotten over the war yet. Now sit."

Zuko sat. "I'm sorry if I troubled your business."

"No, don't worry about it, Zuko," Iroh put a hand on the Fire Lord's shoulder, "now please, I'm curious to know what advice you need. It must be pretty important for you to make the journey all the way here for."

"I love Mai."

Iroh chuckled, "I hope you're not scared of that love, my nephew."

"No," Zuko frowned, "it's because I love her that…" he sighed, "Uncle, I'm confused." As he looked into his Uncle's eyes with sorrow and confusion, Iroh realized he was being tortured within.

"Start from the beginning," Iroh said, more seriously.

Zuko leaned forward, elbows on knees, "I love Mai. I've loved her for a really long time, and she's stayed with me throughout my hard times. She loved me through my choices, even sacrificed herself to save me from my sister. And I love her, _more than anything_," he looked up at Iroh, "We're expecting our third child in a few months."

"Yes, congratulations, nephew," Iroh smiled sincerely. Zuko smiled a little back, then dropped his gaze to his shoes.

"With Mai, I'm happy. I have love, I have a family, I have the life I always wanted. We promised to be loyal to each other, forever," he sighed painfully, scrunching his face to hold back tears of confusion, "I loved Jet, too, Uncle," he raised his eyes to his Iroh's.

"I know, Zuko. The two of you loved each other, I could tell."

Zuko frowned, "Uncle, I never knew what happened to Jet after that night. After I freed him…after I told him goodbye in that alleyway…" he swallowed hard, "It was easy to move on, not knowing what happened to him…or whether he would ever return…" he got to his feet, slamming his forearms against the wall, cupping his face in his hands and leaning his forehead on the cracked wood.

Iroh sat in silence; when Zuko was ready, he would explain.

"He came back." It was whispered.

Zuko turned, switching his position to lean against his back, "Jet came back, Uncle. And with him all my feelings returned. It's been a month since he came back, but I know it's not the last I'll see of him. I know he's still out there. Knowing that, knowing that we could be together…I'm confused, Uncle. I love Mai…I love Jet…I need to choose, Uncle," he turned to Iroh in a panic, his brows connecting in the middle, "I need you to help me sort this out. I need you to help me choose!"

Iroh sat there a moment in silence, letting Zuko calm down and breathe, before he stood and approached him, "Zuko, who do you love more?"

"I don't know."

"Who do you want to spend your life with?"

"I don't know."

"Who do you think of the most?"

"I don't know, Uncle, I don't know!"

Iroh placed a hand on his shoulder, "Who is it easier to be with?"

"Mai," Zuko answered quickly, "of course, Mai. We already have a life together. I love her, I promised to be loyal to her. She's my _wife, _Uncle. Besides, I don't think the Fire Lord can be with a _man_."

"Zuko," Iroh waited until his nephew looked him in the eye, "If you already have everything you want with Mai, then why is this decision so difficult?"

Zuko exhaled, "I don't know. That's what I don't understand. I _want_ to choose Mai, Uncle."

"The fact that you have to _think_ about whether or not you want her…" _…means you probably love Jet more…_

"I know," Zuko frowned, "that's why I'm so confused. If I'm so happy and in love with her…why do I feel sad to think of not being with Jet? But…I don't want to leave Mai either…"

"How do they make you _feel_, Zuko?"

Zuko squinted, thinking, "The love I feel for them…it's different. With Mai I'm content. I'm relaxed. Our love is calm, happy. It's the life I always wanted, with someone I've always loved. It's…_fluffy._ I don't know how else to explain it."

"And with Jet?"

Zuko bit his lip, "With Jet, I feel like I can do anything. I feel like I have so much energy and love that I don't know what to do with it. I know I'd never have the life I want, the family I want, but I know that I'd be happy because every day would be an adventure with him."

Iroh sighed, "Nephew, I cannot help you with this. I can tell you that you should forget Jet; you made a promise to Mai. You made a life with Mai and a family with Mai. Can you really ruin all that, break your loyalty to her, for _lust?_"

Zuko sat in silence, his head spinning. _Mai's the right choice…but I don't know if I can live without Jet…_ Zuko sat, holding his head in his hands, _I've spent more time with Mai…I know her like I know myself…I don't know anything about Jet…_ he glanced up at his Uncle, patiently comforting him with his eyes, _why am I so confused?_

"Sir?" a voice called from the tea shop, "Sir, are you back here?"

Zuko furrowed his brow at the voice, glancing up at his Uncle.

"One of my employees," Iroh explained, hurrying to the door in a rush, "I'll lock it so we can have some peace—" before he could turn the lock the door burst open. Zuko jumped to his feet in horror; before him stood an equally surprised, yet more filled with delight then horror, Jet.

* * *

Mini Poll time: (Just because I'm curious) Let me know in your review (or PM) which ending you like best

Part I. Who does Zuko end up with?  
A. Mai  
B. Jet

Part II. IF ZUKO ENDS UP WITH MAI/JET is it because:  
A. the one he doesnt end up with DIES  
B. he just chooses the person he loves more (undramatic lol)

Part III. The person Zuko ends up with:  
A. lives with him happily ever after  
B. dies and he's stuck with the other one lol

More polls to come probably...OR ill just surprise you...i have many...EVIL ideas and directions this could take...

Bye!


	5. Two Tales

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender. Nor do I own the first airbender.

This chapter depresses me a bit D: even tho its not my best work :/

* * *

Zuko and Jet stood across from each other with completely opposite expressions on their face. Zuko had his arms crossed and was frowning, his brow narrowing down into an angry slant, although the watery glaze in his eyes toned his overall fierceness down.

Jet was half-smiling; the right side of his mouth curved up into a joyful grin, while the other side hung back, unsure of whether it was okay to complete his expression.

Iroh had quickly excused himself when the two men had come face-to-face, slipping out the door and closing it while the two were still too surprised to notice. He figured they needed some time to talk…and he needed some time away from his soon-to-be angry nephew.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Zuko asked roughly.

Jet couldn't help it; the sound of Zuko's bitchy voice made him finish his smile, "After you told me to get lost, I figured Iroh was the closest thing to a family I had."

"You've been with him the whole time?" Zuko's mind swirled; if it had been that easy to see Jet all along…

"No," Jet took a tentative step towards Zuko, "I found your Uncle after our meeting on the balcony. It's the first time I saw both of you in, what, five years?"

Zuko let his arms drop to his side, but his frown held, "Why would you come to my Uncle?"

"I told you," Jet took another step towards Zuko, "he's the closest thing to family I have."

"What about your freedom fighters?"

Jet sighed, "Smellerbee and Longshot were the last to follow my lead; everyone else had decided I wasn't the leader they wanted…"

"Oh," Zuko's face untensed, "you never told me that."

Jet shrugged, "I never thought it mattered. And, well, I haven't seen Smellerbee and Longshot since I was here, in Ba Sing Se. And the last time I was here was with you."

"So, where have you been all these years?" Zuko swallowed hard, concealing his feelings.

"Here and there," he smiled at the Fire Lord, "never stayed in once place for long. I don't know why. Guess I was looking for some way to forget you."

Zuko bit his lip, "Did it work?" he hoped it hadn't, even though it would make things easier.

Jet laughed, "Obviously not, since I came back to you after all."

"Then why did you leave? I wasn't sure if I'd ever see you again…"

"You told me you loved Mai. Zuko, I understood. She's your wife, the mother of your children. You have a duty to your family and your nation," he reached out and placed a hand on the Firebender's shoulder, "Did you _want_ me to come back, Zuko?"

Zuko turned his face away, his throat sore from holding back the tears that were gathering in his eyes.

"Zuko?" Jet's voice rang with concern as he took the younger man's face in his hands and turned it up to his. Zuko's eyes were glassy, brimmed with glistening droplets. "What's wrong?"

Zuko blinked them away as best as he could, "You understand everything, Jet, so you shouldn't have to ask me," he pulled back from Jet's hands, "I came here for a reason. I needed to talk to my Uncle. I needed help deciding…"

"Deciding what?"

Zuko inhaled and exhaled, "Who I wanted to be with," he looked into Jet's eyes fiercely, "I know that must sound horrible, but I'm just so confused."

Jet's arms fell rigid at his sides, "Who did you choose, Zuko?"

"I don't know yet," he sighed, "but what Uncle and I talked about…I have an idea of who I'm leaning towards…"

Jet closed his eyes slowly, "It's Mai, isn't it. You're leaning towards Mai."

"How can I not?"

Jet opened his eyes to look at Zuko, "I understand, Zuko. It's okay. I always figured that's what it would come down to. When I heard about you and Mai getting married, I knew I had lost you, right then."

Zuko gazed at him sadly, "Jet, I still love you. I need some time to think about this."

"You shouldn't have to think about it," Jet offered a small smile, "you _should_ choose Mai, Zuko."

Zuko turned his face away, unable to look his first love in the eye.

"You're never happy."

"Huh?"

Jet smiled sadly, "You're never happy, Zuko."

Zuko shrugged, "I don't know why, but everything in my life is always a struggle. Even this."

Jet looked at him comfortingly, but couldn't bring himself to reach out and touch his love, "Now that you're Fire Lord, now that everything is back to the way it should be, why aren't you happy? I mean to say, is this problem with me and Mai what's giving you your stress?"

Zuko looked at him oddly.

"I can tell you're stressed, Zuko," Jet slowly made his way towards the couch to sit, "I just want to know if my coming back was what caused it."

Zuko sighed, shifting his stance to face Jet in his new location, "You did complicate things. But, there was always one thing unresolved in my life. One thing that constantly brings me stress, and will continue to bring it even when I sort out my feelings for you and Mai."

"What's that, Zuko?"

Zuko took a seat on the couch too, suddenly feeling weak. A knot twisted in his stomach and his throat ached from holding back more tears. He kept as far away from Jet as possible as he sat, not wanting to have all his past feelings for the man resurface. "My mother," he whispered.

Jet furrowed his brow in confusion, "What about her, Zuko?"

Zuko sighed, "It's a long story that ends with her banishment."

"I have time," Jet smiled solemnly, taking Zuko's hand in his. Zuko flushed and went to pull his hand away, but decided against it. Jet's comforting hold would help him recount his tale. Gravely, he went into the story of his mother. He started with his father's outspoken horror against Azulon, then later that night when Azula, followed by his mother, came into his room. He tearfully related the last moment he laid eyes on her, and the last words she had spoken to him. Then, he continued on to his meeting with Ozai during the solar eclipse, and the news he learned; how his mother had killed Azulon to save him, dealing with the consequences that befell her next.

"The only person who knew where she went, was my father."

Jet looked at Zuko sadly, cupping the Firebender's shaking hands in his, "I assume he won't tell you?"

Zuko took a shuddery breath, "He was locked up after the Avatar took his bending away. And _I_, I had the life I _always_ wanted. I was finally happy, except for one thing. I wanted to know where my mother was. I started to ask him," Zuko slid a bit closer to Jet, "I had my guards continually try to force it out of him. I never wanted to…_torture_ him, but now I think maybe I should have."

Jet's expression changed as he began to understand Zuko's choice of words.

"Father stopped eating; the guards had to force food down his throat," Zuko pulled his hands from Jet's and rested his temple on his fingers, "I should have realized then, that he would do whatever it took to win. Even if all he could win at was making sure my life was miserable never knowing where my mother was."

Jet's mouth had gone dry, "What did he do, Zuko?"

Zuko turned to look into his eyes, realizing how much closer the two had become during his story; their faces were only inches apart.

"He hung himself from the vent," Zuko let his head fall to rest on Jet's shoulder, "he used his clothing to make a noose, and tied it around one of the metal bars covering the vent. He knew I would never be able to find her if he was dead."

Jet wrapped his arms around Zuko, his eyes tearing at the thought of how much pain Zuko must be in, "Maybe she'll hear about you being Fire Lord, and she'll know to come back."

Zuko pulled away from his hug, "What if she's someplace where she'll never hear? Or what if she's…"

Jet pulled Zuko back to him, knowing what word Zuko left out, "You'll find her, Zuko. I know you; you won't give up until you do."

"How do I know where to start?"

Jet placed his hands on either side of Zuko's face, and pulled it to his gently, "You'll figure it out."

Jet kissed him; long, hard, and passionate.

Then, as softly as Jet had taken Zuko's face in his hands, Zuko pulled back, stood, and left.

Jet touched his lips, and quietly cried.


	6. The Choice

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Avatar. Or the Jasmine Dragon. Iroh does. Well, he owns the Jasmine Dragon, not Avatar. No, I don't mean THE Avatar, I mean the show Avatar. Which I don't own. Well, I don't own THE Avatar either, but that's not what I'm referring to here. So don't sue me. No, not Mary Sue me, I mean sue me. Get it? Got it? Good.

Okay so this chapter took FOREVER for me to get off my ass (or on my ass in this case) and write. Sorry about the long delay but I sorta mighta been so busy that I kinda maybe forgot about it. A bit. But here it is! (drumroll) and I promise I'll update more regularly now (as I have found my outline for what's supossed to happen XD) but I'll have to rotate between updating this and Blood Rose so...I'll try for every 2 or 3 weeks (sorry! haha)

Oh, and just a REMINDER that this is the SEQUEL to UNFORESEEN LOVE and if u HAVE NOT read UNFORESEEN LOVE then i suggest you GO READ IT before continueing with THIS ONE. That is all^^;;

oh and, yeah this sequel isnt humorous like the original story. its more...angst...drama...or idk, that stuff. but without being annoying (i hope XD) anyway, guess i wanted to say sorry for no real humor (i'll try to bring some in a bit later, after I build up the whole zuko confusion pain love trouble thing xD) but this story is gonna have a more serious tone i think...considering what's going to happen...

* * *

Jet rolled over in bed, unable to ignore the bright sunlight streaming through his windows. He hadn't been able to sleep at all; his conversation with Zuko the previous day was bothering him, and he couldn't stop thinking about it.

He sat up, rubbing his sleep deprived eyes, and sighed. It wasn't just the fact that Zuko was leaning towards Mai that he couldn't sleep, but because it seemed to him that _he_ had brought Zuko unhappiness and stress by returning, even if Zuko said it wasn't his fault. Jet had spent all night trying to figure out a way to cheer his Fire Lord up, to ease his stress, but he didn't know what to do.

Jet stood, dragging his tired-out body to his clothes chest, and dressed for work that day. Iroh was letting Jet live with him, and in return Jet was helping him manage the Jasmine Dragon. He pulled on his work clothes mechanically, his thoughts still on Zuko. There had to be something he could do. Even if Zuko ended up choosing Mai, Jet still wanted to help. He still loved Zuko, after all.

He gazed thoughtfully out the window, eyes trailing over a small family across the street. A man held a little girl upon his shoulders, carrying her as she giggled and bounced up and down. The man's wife held their son's hand, keeping him close to her so he wouldn't run off and cause trouble. Jet smiled to himself, wishing he and Zuko could have a family of their own.

Then, eyes locked on mother and son, a light-bulb went off in Jet's head. He knew what he wanted to do for his love.

* * *

Zuko was sitting in his Uncle's kitchen when Jet entered, and judging by the bags under the Earth Kingdom man's eyes, he had slept just about as well as Zuko had.

"Zuko, there's something I want to ask you."

"Wait," Zuko pushed himself to his feet and faced Jet, "I need to talk with you first."

Jet tensed, "What is it?"

"Well," Zuko looked around awkwardly even though they were the only two there; Iroh had left for work already.

Jet sighed, gaze dropping to his feet, "You've made your decision, haven't you?"

Biting his lip, Zuko nodded solemnly.

"Don't tell me," Jet walked slowly towards Zuko, eyes locked in a pleading gaze, "not yet. Please, just," he paused before him, then placed one hand on Zuko's cheek, "just let me have one last moment where it could still be me. Where you could still choose me."

Zuko looked away from Jet's intense eyes and parted his lips in a whisper, "Jet, I—"

But before he could say more, Jet pressed his lips against Zuko's, pulling the Fire Lord's body against his own and wrapping his arms passionately around his love's waist.

Zuko leaned into the kiss, allowing himself to enjoy it to the fullest.

A final moment between the two, before he made his choice.

Before he said goodbye.

The two pulled away, slightly out of breath and light headed.

"Okay," Jet's watery eyes found Zuko's and he smiled reassuringly, "I'm ready."

Zuko closed his eyes as he spoke, forming his words slowly as though they caused him pain, "I've chosen Mai, Jet. I'm sorry. I love you, but Mai and I have a life together, a family. We have sworn to always be together, no matter what. When I take all that into account, when I consider these last five years, who I am, what I have, and where my duty lies, I know I must chose Mai."

"You do love her, don't you?"

Zuko opened his eyes questioningly, "Of course I do, Jet."

"Does she...does she make you happy, Zuko?"

He swallowed hard, "So happy."

Jet smiled thinly, comfortingly, "Then I'm happy for you. As long as you love her, and you're happy with the life the two of you have, I can't be sad or angry. I want nothing more then to see you happy, Zuko."

Jet embraced him suddenly, holding him tightly as though he was never going to let go. Zuko could feel a wetness against his cheek, and he knew Jet was crying. But when Jet pulled away, he had so regained his composure that Zuko wondered if it had been himself who had shed tears unknowingly.

"You wanted to ask me something?" Zuko's voice was low and hoarse; the words seemed to croak out in a choppy whisper. His voice was wavering with sadness. He took a deep breath to steady himself; after today it would all be over.

"Yeah, I did," Jet cleared his throat, ran a hand through his hair, "I wanted to ask you..."

For some reason, a small flame of hope ignited in Zuko's chest, "What is it, Jet?"

Jet took a deep breath and changed his demeanor to one that seemed unfazed by the recent conversation, "I wanted to ask you what happened to your sister."

"What happened...to...Azula?" the small flame flickered and died, sending a wave of sadness washing over him.

"Yeah. She and your dad were really close, weren't they?"

"Yes."

"And you told me what happened to your father, I was just wondering what had happened to your sister."

Zuko frowned, a slight anger building up in his chest; how could Jet care about his sister in a time like this? "She went crazy. Didn't you hear?"

"Well, yeah, sort of," Jet shrugged and tensed, fighting back a random wave of sadness that tried to overtake him, "it was rumored that she lost it. That you fought her, won, and she went insane."

"Well it's true."

"Oh, okay," Jet cleared his throat awkwardly, knowing by Zuko's tone that he hadn't chosen the best time to ask. But, since he had already started the conversation... "Well, what happened to her?"

Zuko's brow narrowed and he bit his lip, anger and sorrow mixing together within him, "She was placed in a mental asylum. The Fire Nation courts declared that she couldn't be held responsible for her actions, being out of mind, and locked her away there."

"A mental asylum?" Jet furrowed his brow, "In the Fire Nation?"

"No," Zuko gritted his teeth, pissed that all Jet cared about was Azula's well-being, "here in Ba Sing Se. It's the largest one in the Earth Kingdom, and more well-known then those in the Fire Nation. Plus, the Earth Kingdom preferred to watch her, instead of leaving her in the care of her own Nation, where some of her followers might tend to her and help her escape."

"Oh, I see," Jet scrunched his face in thought for a moment, then regained an almost nonchalant composure, "okay. Well, that was all I wanted to ask."

"Why did you want to know?"

Jet shrugged, "I was just curious. Well, anyway, I guess I'll be heading off to work now."

Zuko couldn't stand it anymore, "How can you act so calm?"

Jet paused mid-step and brought his eyes level with Zuko's, "There's no point in getting upset."

"Doesn't it hurt?" he wanted to know that Jet was in pain too.

"Of course it hurts, Zuko," he offered the Fire Nation man a small smile, "but I understand. And if I let myself start crying over you, I might never be able to stop."

Zuko watched him go, leaving him alone with his thoughts and his pain. He made the right choice in choosing Mai, he just had to give the wound left behind by Jet some time to heal. He laid back on the couch, staring up at his Uncle's ceiling, and let himself cry over Jet...

...for the final time.


	7. Azula's Request

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar. And I'm too lazy to come up with any other comment regarding that sooo....enjoy XD

okay, so, the more reviews I get, the faster I'll update. And the SECOND I get 6 reviews to a chapter I'll sit down on my ass and start writing the next one. So...if you want me to update fast, get people to R&R. If i dont get 6, then ima just update whenever I feel like it XD but, im being nice this time and posting this now, even without 6 reviews, just because I made you wait soooo long for the last one, hehe. anyways...fulfill my selfish desires and get people to review so i write sooner XP

* * *

"Please, let me in."

The female guard eyed Jet up and down, considering, "We're not supposed to allow visitors in to see Level E patients, unless they're direct family members."

"Look, can't you make an exception? This is really important," although serious about the whole matter, Jet couldn't help but notice how amazingly hideous the female guard was.

"This patient, especially," she scratched at the wart on her nose, "no one is to see her if not royalty."

"I'm a friend of Fire Lord Zuko's," Jet pulled out his name-tag, "and I work for Iroh of the Fire Nation."

She glanced at the name-tag and business ID with her beady eyes, "Ah yes, the Earth Kingdom greatly admires Iroh and everything he has done to help us."

"So can you let me in?"

She debated, biting her dried-out lip with blackened teeth, "I suppose I could make an exception...but I'd have to give you a time limit of 30 minutes."

"I understand, thank you," Jet would take what he could get.

"Wait a second," she placed a hand on his shoulder, "since I'm doing you a favor, I expect a favor from you in return."

Jet raised his eyebrows, "From me?"

"Yes, after all," she arched her unibrow in return, and licked her lips hungrily, "it's been a while since a young, handsome man such as yourself has been this close to me."

Jet gulped.

* * *

"Ah, nephew," Iroh greeted Zuko from behind the register as he entered the Jasmine Dragon, "come to help me with work?"

Zuko shrugged.

"Luckily we aren't that busy today," Iroh's eyes skimmed over the two employees working the tables, "although Jet still hasn't shown up so I've been having to cover both the register and the tea-making. Chen's been covering his tables and some of the cooking, but it's a bit much."

"Jet didn't show up?"

Iroh looked back at his nephew, "Was he still sleeping when you left?"

Zuko frowned, "He left before I did."

"Well that's odd," Iroh adjusted his apron, "do you mind giving me a hand again, Zuko?"

"Oh, um, sure, Uncle," Zuko took Iroh's place behind the register.

"Thank you," Iroh gave him a pat on the shoulder, then hurried off to the kitchen, muttering to himself that he'd have to yell at Jet later.

Once Zuko was left alone at the register his thoughts consumed him, and he tried to hold back the wave of depression and nausea that threatened to overcome him.

* * *

Jet hurried down the hall to the staircase at the end; it would bring him deep underground, where the Level E patients were held. Level E was used to refer to those who had lost their mind in a way that made them dangerous to themselves and others. Although the best at retaining their life-long memories and the most able to hold conversations with meaning behind them, they were actually the most insane. They personally feel as though nothing is wrong with them, and for that reason they are more inclined to lose themselves at times and later assume that whatever actions they took were what they meant to do.

Jet's footsteps slowed as he entered the Level E floor.

Azula's cell would be the one all the way at the end. Hopefully, she would be able to tell him what he had come for. If not, then he'd have to think out another way to give Zuko the one thing he wanted. Even if she didn't know, Jet wouldn't regret doing all this for his Fire Lord.

Well, maybe he'd regret the whole guard thing...

Jet tried not to barf.

There were very few patients on this floor, and also very few lights. There was one torch on each side every three cells; enough light for visitors and guards to find their way, but not enough for the patients to be comfortable.

The five or so patients Jet passed watched him curiously, not saying a word as he went by.

Jet paused halfway down the corridor; the pattern of torches ceased, leaving the second half of the hall melting away into the darkness.

However, at the very end Jet could make out the flickering of a last and final torch.

Azula's cell.

Laughter echoed in his direction as he stepped into the shadows, taunting him, threatening him.

Someone in the corridor coughed.

What was only seconds of walking felt like hours. What was only darkness due to lack of torches felt like darkness due to evil. What was only the laughter of a woman who had lost herself felt like the laughter of death.

Then, with a final breath, Jet stepped into the slight glow from that final torch, and stared into the eyes of Azula.

She sat in very center of her cell on her knees, back straight, hands cupped together on her lap. Her face looked calm, serene, kind. She cocked her head at the sight of Jet, and giggled. Girly, innocent, embarrassed giggles. The kind that would seem as though the sight of Jet quickened her heart beat and made her stomach flutter.

Then, she stopped, and held her cupped hands out towards him, as though she was holding something.

"Do you want to see?" she whispered, in the voice of a child.

Jet was taken aback, his initial reason for being there forgotten, "See what?"

"Why, what I hide within my grasp," Azula smiled at him, as though smiling at a young child who didn't understand anything.

Jet couldn't pull his gaze from her eyes; they were completely different from when he last saw her.

She slowly stood, walking over to the cell bars, hands still cupped in their delicate way, as if she held life itself between them.

Jet stepped up to the bars, eyes falling on her hands in curiosity.

Azula slid her cupped hands between two of the bars, holding them out to Jet, "Put out your hands."

Jet did as she said, placing his hands under hers as if to catch whatever she held.

Suddenly, her expression changed; her eyes narrowed and her smile widened to a manic grin. She pulled her hands apart and red liquid splashed to the ground; Jet had pulled his hands away just in time. She smiled down at the blood, dropping to her knees and reaching out, trying to scoop it back up.

"What the fuck," Jet looked at her in horror as a thin trail of blood found its way out the corner of her mouth, "what the _fuck."_

She gave up on scooping up the fallen blood, and stood, positioning her face near the bars. One hand reached out and caressed Jet's cheek before he could back away.

"I'm so lonely," Azula smiled evilly, "I remember you, Jet. You escaped my grasp, Jet. The Blue Spirit helped you, Jet."

Jet glared into her eyes, "I came here to ask you something."

Azula laughed, her eyes bulging in their sockets. Jet cringed at the sound of it.

Then, she started to cough, cupping her hands around her mouth. Her cough sounded just as wild and maniacal as her laughter. But when she moved her hands from her mouth, fresh blood coated them.

Jet swallowed hard, "What happened to your mother?"

Azula's head snapped up to stare at him angrily, "Don't talk about that woman before me!"

"She's still alive, isn't she?"

"I said don't mention my mother!" Azula screamed.

"Where is she?"

"Fuck you!" Azula threw herself at the bars, clutching them in her blood-stained hands, _"Fuck you!"_

Jet's brow narrowed and he grabbed onto her hands, holding them tight to the bars so she couldn't move them, "Tell me!"

"Never!"

More laughter spilled from Azula's throat; her head rolled around with it, as though she couldn't hold it still. Her tongue lolled in her mouth, and her eyes darted left and right as though trying to find something to fix their gaze on.

Then, suddenly, the laughter stopped and Azula focused on Jet's face with a manner so normal it seemed that nothing had ever been wrong with her.

"Why should I tell you?"

Jet let go of her hands, "So you know?"

"Of course I know," she smiled evilly, like she used to, "but why the fuck should I tell you?"

Jet knew she wouldn't tell him if it didn't benefit her in some way, "What do you want?"

She coughed, and a drop of blood found its way to the corner of her mouth.

"What do you want?" Jet asked again, firmly.

She smiled, licking her lips where the blood had coated, "I want my proper place as Fire Lord."  
"No. What else."

"Zuzu's head."

"No. Something else."

She frowned, "Those are the only two things I see as equal to what you are asking me."

Jet stared at her, determinedly.

She sighed and rolled her eyes dramatically, "Fine, fine. Hmm. Let's see...what do I want," she cupped her chin in her hands as though thinking, "I want to be free."

"I can't do that."

"You escaped from your prison. Now it's time to help me escape from mine."

"I had help."

"Well, duh, that's why I'm asking _you_ to be _my_ help. Shit you're dumb," when Jet didn't reply she went on, "well, let's see, I hate that goddamned Blue Spirit for making a fucking fool of me. So why don't you go kill him and bring me his mask or something as proof."

Jet's eyed lit up; he could do that.

"Fine. I'll bring you the Blue Spirit's mask."

"And how do I know you actually killed him?"

Jet cursed, "You just told me the mask would be proof."

Azula held her hand out and admired her nails, "You really are annoying, did you know? Well, bring me his identity too then. I'm curious to know what fuck screwed with me last time I was here."

"Fine." The mask he could get easily; Zuko always took it with him. After all, it was a large part of who he was. As for the identity, Jet could just make that part up, or steal someone's passport or ID.

Azula was laughing again, eyes focused on Jet's, "See you soon, Jetty."

Jet turned without a word and left, making sure not to make eye contact with any of the Level E's on the way out. He could do this; he could find out where Zuko's mom was, go get her, and bring her back to his love. The one thing that had always been missing from Zuko's life, the one thing he cared about that wasn't there... Even if Zuko wasn't his, he loved the Fire Lord and wanted to do whatever it took to make him happy.

Jet smiled to himself. Soon, so soon, he would be able to give Zuko his gift.

The only problem that lay ahead...

...was whether or not he'd have to give the female guard another foot-rub just to get back in.


	8. Secrets and Games

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar. *-crickets chirp-* What? Expecting something else?

lol how random is this? i actually updated!!

hmm...zuko's slowly becoming less bitchy....is that good or bad XD

* * *

"Sorry I'm late, Iroh," Jet tied his apron around his waist as he entered, "I had some business to take care of."

Iroh frowned, turning from his nephew to look at Jet, "Business? You're not selling," he lowered his voice to a whisper, "_those_ again, are you?"

Zuko's one brow shot up in curiosity, "Selling _what,_ Uncle?"

Iroh laughed fakely, holding the back of his head as if to seem relaxed, "Nothing, nothing nephew," he patted Zuko on the back, "I took care of it."

Zuko frowned.

"Yeah, well, uh," Jet tried to avoid eye contact with the Fire Lord, "I'll just get to work. You want me on register duty or what?"

"No, no, Zuko's got the register covered. You can wait on the tables though."

"Actually Uncle, he can take over the register. I'm feeling sort of tired—"

Iroh grabbed him by the back of his collar before he could walk off, "Nonsense, Zuko, you'll help. Isn't that right?"

Zuko grit his teeth, "Fine. I'll help."

Jet stifled a chuckle.

"What are you laughing at?" Zuko asked in his normal pissy attitude.

Jet smiled upon seeing Zuko react in his normal way, "Nothing, nothing at all."

* * *

"I saw that you know," Zuko said under his breath, just loud enough for Jet to hear.

"What are you talking about?" Jet was scrubbing down the tables as Iroh locked up; they had finished for the day.

"That last customer—you took something from him."

Jet narrowed his brow as if concentrating on the surface of the table, "Who?"

"The guy who just left," Zuko's voice was getting more and more annoyed by the second. It probably wasn't helping that Jet refused to look up from his work.

"Yeah, okay, what about him?"

"You took something."

"From that guy?"

"Yeah."

Jet scrubbed harder, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I saw you, Jet," Zuko leaned closer, trying to force Jet to look at him, "You reached into his pocket, took out his wallet, and replaced it while he was talking with Uncle."

Jet shook his head, increasing his scrubbing speed, "No I didn't."

"Yeah, you did."

"Zuko, I didn't take anything."

"I'm not blind. I _saw_ you."

"Yeah, well, you saw wrong."

"You stole."

"No."

"Yes you did."

"No."

"You did."

"No."

"Jet!" Zuko grabbed his scrubbing hand, "The table's clean, Jet!"

Jet looked up at him with a frown, "Lay off. Whatever you think you saw, wasn't true."

"So, what, I imagined it?" Zuko scoffed.

"Yeah," Jet's head twitched forward as he said it, "so lay the fuck off."

Zuko stared at him for a moment, debating whether or not he should reply, then turned and stomped off towards his Uncle. Jet watched him go, feeling sad; a part of him had wanted Zuko to start a fight.

* * *

Jet listened from around the corner; Zuko and his Uncle were talking in the living room of their apartment, meaning this was the perfect time. As quiet as he could, Jet snuck past them and slid Zuko's bedroom door open.

The chest Zuko had packed his clothes in sat neatly to the side of his bed.

Now, all he had to do was open the chest, find the mask, and get the hell out of there.

Zuko had already caught him stealing that customer's ID; the last thing Jet needed was for Zuko to catch him stealing his mask.

He undid the silver latches and lifted the top up, soundlessly. He didn't want to ruffle through the clothes too much, or it would be obvious someone had been in the chest. He lifted the clothes out so they stayed folded, placing them on the floor next to him. It took a few minutes to neatly remove everything, but he smiled to himself in triumph; at the bottom of the chest sat a blanket that was way too heavy to be just a blanket. Jet removed it, gently unwrapped the Blue Spirit mask, refolded the blanket, and placed it back at the bottom, then began replacing each article of clothing. He quietly shut and latched the lid, then lifted the mask as he stood and slipped it under his shirt, just in case he had to walk past Zuko on the way back to his room.

Although, once he turned around, he realized that didn't really matter.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Jet blinked, not knowing what to say, "How long have you been standing there?"

Zuko was leaning against the doorway, arms crossed, brow narrowed, looking sexy as ever, "I saw you walk past me and Uncle and followed you in here."

"Oh," Jet frowned, "well you could have said something; it would have saved me a lot of time."

Zuko ignored him and pissily asked again: "What the hell are you doing?"

Jet looked down at his stomach, pulling the bulge out from under his shirt and smiling cockily at Zuko as he held the mask up next to him, "Can I borrow this?"

* * *

_"What?"_ Zuko looked at Jet like he was crazy, "You went to see _Azula?_ Why?"

Jet rolled his eyes, "Uh, I was getting to that part."

Zuko re-crossed his arms and stared down at Jet, who was actually quite comfortably laying on the Fire Lord's bed.

"I needed to ask her something. She said she won't tell me what I want to know unless I kill the Blue Spirit for her. And obviously I'm not gonna kill you, so I figured I'd steal a random ID and bring that to her along with the mask."

Zuko was appalled, "How _dare_ you make a deal with that _bitch!"_

Jet sat up angrily, "It's not like I need your fucking permission."

Zuko opened his mouth to reply, then stopped, "Yeah, I know."

Jet frowned; why wouldn't Zuko just bitch at him the way he used to?

"Well, you could have just asked me for the mask, then."

"Really?" Jet shimmied his way to the edge of the bed, "You would have given me it?"

Zuko shrugged, "I don't know. If you told me what you wanted to ask her, yeah I guess. I mean, I'd want it back though."

"Well, of course," Jet narrowed his brow, "but I can't tell you the reason."

Zuko's gaze turned to fury, "Why the fuck not?"

Jet laughed, "It's not like I'm doing this behind your back, don't be so paranoid."

"I'm not paranoid," Zuko turned slightly red, averting his eyes, "I'm just curious."

Jet smiled mischievously, "Well, you'll find out."

Zuko faced him, "I will?"

Jet couldn't help but laugh again at the look of surprise on Zuko's face.

"What the fuck is so funny?"

Oops. Back to anger.

Although, Jet _did_ miss the anger.

It was...sexy.

"And what do you mean _I'll find out_?"

Jet put a finger to his lips, "Shh. It's a secret."

Zuko bit his lip, "I hate secrets."

"Well," Jet reached out to take the mask, but Zuko grabbed it first.

"I've decided not to let you borrow this."

"What?" Jet rolled his eyes, "You just said I could."

"No," Zuko tucked it beneath his arm, "I said if you tell me the reason, you could."

"Oh come on," Jet pushed himself to his feet, "I told you, _it's a secret._"

"And _I _told _you,"_ Zuko sidestepped as Jet lunged toward him,"_I hate secrets._"

Jet frowned, "Zuko, gimme the mask."

"Why should I? It _is _mine, after all."

Jet jumped forward again, but Zuko was quicker, "Gimme the mask, Zuko."

"Nope."

"Just gimme the damn mask!" Jet tried to snatch it again, and failed.

"You'll have to be quicker then that," Zuko smiled tauntingly.

It was the smile that made Jet blush, and for the moment he was really glad he was so tan.

He darted his hand out to grab it, made contact, but couldn't pull it away; his fingers slipped, groping at air.

That was when Zuko laughed.

How long had it been since Jet had heard him laugh like that?

How long since Zuko had sincerely smiled?

They weren't fighting, they weren't arguing or cursing, they weren't talking about how they could never be together.

They were _playing._

As though it was completely normal.

As though they had always done it.

As though they were happy together.

Zuko lifted the mask above his head, leaning against the bed for support, pulling it just out of Jet's reach, "You'll have to do better then that."

As Jet jumped for it, he knew that subconsciously he had known what would happen.

Jet's weight caused Zuko to loose balance and fall backwards onto the bed, the mask dropping from his hand to hit the floor on the other side, and Jet came to rest right atop his Fire Lord, lips hovering mere centimeters apart.

He also knew then, how Zuko would react.

Cursing, anger, fighting, bitching, maybe even hitting was all about to overwhelm Jet.

Only, of course, to be followed by the angsty conversation of how Zuko loved Mai and could never be with a man, blah blah blah.

But that wasn't what happened.

"Sorry," Jet started to lift his body away from the Fire Lord, but was stopped.

"Please," Zuko whispered, his hand was resting on Jet's back gently, stopping him from moving, "Just stay like this, for a moment."

Jet didn't know what to say, except for_ Yes._

He was on his knees and elbows, body just shy of touching Zuko's. His forehead was resting on the firebender's, and his eyes were closed. Zuko's one hand remained on Jet's back, the other had found it's way into Jet's hair. The only sounds were their inhales and exhales, but when Jet rested his head upon Zuko's chest he could hear the Fire Lord's heartbeat. He matched his breathing to the speed of each pump, enjoying the heat from Zuko's body and the scent of his clothes.

"Jet?" It was whispered so faintly that the words didn't register.

_"Jet?"_

Jet inhaled deeply, then exhaled his reply, "Hmm?"

"Moment's over. Now get the fuck off."


	9. Kisses and Threats

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. And I will never own it. So stop annoying me.

Whee an update lol

* * *

Jet smiled mockingly at Zuko the next morning, "You're not coming with me."

"Then you don't get this," Zuko waved the blue mask in front of Jet's face, "which means you have nothing to persuade Azula to talk."

Jet laughed, "Just gimme the damn mask and wait here like a good Fire Lord."

Zuko rolled his eyes, "Even if you go, I'm just going to follow."

"Fine," Jet smiled, "then I won't go right away. In fact, I'm just gonna wander around the next few days and the second you go take a piss break—"

"Yeah, yeah," Zuko tucked the mask under his shirt, out of view, "let's just go."

"It's supposed to be a _surprise,_ Zuko," Jet started walking anyway, "you're going to ruin it. This is something I _really_ wanted to do for you, to surprise you."

Zuko laughed sarcastically, following along, "Why the hell would you even _want_ to surprise me?"

Jet cast a look at the Fire Lord over his shoulder, "Because I still love you, Zuko, and I wanted to do something to make you happy."

Zuko turned red and broke eye contact with the man in front of him, "After everything I've done to you, you still want to make me happy?"

Jet smiled to himself, "Yeah. I'm an idiot."

Zuko frowned.

"But whatever," Jet slowed his pace so Zuko could catch up, "I know there's a lot that's been bothering you lately, and I realized something about your life. There's this one factor, which if I could solve the problem with it, that would make your life turn around. I think you'd finally be able to be truly happy, Zuko."

Zuko looked at him strangely while they walked, "What factor?"

Jet laughed, "You don't even know yourself?"

Zuko grit his teeth and looked away.

"It's okay, you know," Jet ruffled Zuko's hair, only causing more annoyance to flush through the Firebender's face, "but when we get there I _would _prefer you wait outside. I don't think she's going to tell me anything if you're there."

"How do you know she's even going to tell you anything _without_ me there?"

"I _don't_ know, to be honest," Jet laughed, "but I won't give up. I promise you, I will do this for you no matter what."

"How can you promise me something when I don't even know what it is?" Zuko frowned.

"Because I love you."

Zuko turned red again and an awkward silence followed.

After a few minutes, Zuko spoke, "You should stop saying that."

"Why?" Jet looked at him seriously, "Am I not allowed to continue loving you even if you've given up on me?"

"Jet," Zuko bit his lip, "saying that just makes it harder on me. I wish you would stop. I can't stay friends with you if you keep telling me you love me."

"Stay friends?"

"Yeah," Zuko sighed, "Jet, you know how I've felt about you, and you know how I feel about Mai. You know what I chose; you know I chose Mai. But," he paused, "but I don't want to lose you from my life. So I want us to remain friends. But it's hard to be your friend unless we forget the feelings we used to have for each other."

"Okay, so," Jet forced a small laugh, "we'll just be friends. No big deal. At least I still have you in my life that way too. But, Zuko, I still want to tell you that I love you. You don't need to return those feelings though, just let me express them, please."

Zuko looked away from Jet's hurt gaze, "I don't know. If you continue to tell me how you feel, my feelings for you might..."

Jet sighed, "Yeah, I understand. You still feel something towards me, but you need to kill those feelings in order to be with Mai. And in order to kill them, I need to make you feel like we're nothing more then friends."

Pause, "Yeah."

"Okay."

Zuko looked at him in surprise, "Okay?"

"Okay," Jet smiled reassuringly, "if that's what you want me to do, Zuko, then I'll do it," he stopped walking and grabbed Zuko's arm, "I'll do it, for you," and, leaning forward, planted a kiss directly on the Firebender's lips.

Zuko pushed him away, "What the hell was that? I thought you said you understood!"

Jet laughed, "I do, I just wanted my final kiss."

Zuko touched his lips, "Oh. Well, in that case," he pulled Jet closer, "you should make it a good one."

Jet looked at him unsurely, then smiled, "Are you sure?"

Zuko blushed, but didn't smile, "Yeah. I'm sure."

So they kissed.

Long, hard, passionate, and final.

* * *

"You again?" the same ugly, female guard asked when she spotted Jet.

He smiled cockily, "Yup. Me again."

She eyed Zuko, "Who's he? Payment for me to let you in again?" She smiled slyly.

Zuko frowned, "I am not payment."

"So, will you let us in?" Jet asked.

The guard laughed, "What do I get in return?"

"You get to not have my foot shoved up your ass."

Zuko rolled his eyes at Jet, stepping forward and holding something out the the guard, "I think you'll find that _this_ gives me the authority to enter whenever I feel the need."

The guard stared at the emblem and seal that Zuko had handed her, and gasped, "Oh, my," she looked up at Zuko, then bowed slightly, "Fire Lord Zuko, my apologies. Go right in, please."

Zuko smiled, folding the seal and stuffing it back in his pocket, "Thank you."

Jet scoffed as he led Zuko inside and up to Azula's floor, "It's no fun that way."

"And how, exactly, did you get her to let you in last time?"

Jet grimaced, "Actually, I'd rather not say."

Zuko laughed.

"We're almost there," Jet announced, ignoring Zuko's mocking laughter, "Hey, what the hell."

Zuko stifled his chuckles, "What?"

"Where the fuck is the identity I stole from that customer?" Jet was searching his pockets frantically, "I know I put it in my pocket this morning."

"Oh, uh, about that," Zuko smiled cockily, "I stole it out of your pocket and gave it to Uncle. He'll see to it that it gets returned."

"You _what_?" Jet gaped at him, "Zuko, _what the hell?_ I told you I needed that to get Azula to talk."

Zuko rolled his eyes, "I doubt a slip of paper and a mask are all it takes to get Azula to talk, and besides, stealing is wrong, Jet."

Jet frowned and cursed under his breath as they made their way down the dimly lit corridor to the final cell which held Azula.

"Ah, so you have returned," Azula stated with a small giggle. Then she spotted Zuko, "Uh, idiot, what the fuck is _he_ doing here?"

Zuko smiled thinly, "Hello, Azula."

Azula rolled her eyes, "Puh-_lease_ spare me the false manners. As if you give a shit about me," she sighed dramatically, "well, Jetty, where are the items I asked you to fetch me?"

"The mask is here," Zuko pulled it out from under his shirt, "as is the identity of the Blue Spirit."

"Oh?" Azula eyed him, calculating.

"Wait, Zuko, no," Jet tried to stop him, knowing if Zuko did what he was about to do, Azula wouldn't give over the information.

"I'm the Blue Spirit, Azula."

Azula's eyes widened, "You? _You?_ Are you fucking _kidding_ me?" she stood at full height, shakily, and grasped the bars, shoving her head as close as she could as if trying to squeeze between them, "How the fuck can you stand there telling me that _you're _the fucking Blue Spirit? I refuse to fucking believe that! There's no fucking way I was done in by _you_, brother," she sneered the last word as if it was something vile and horrid, "no fucking way!"

"It's true, Azula. Jet has brought you the Blue Spirit."

"I asked for him to be fucking _dead!_" Spittle flew from her lips.

Jet rubbed his forehead, "Fuck, Zuko, _fuck._ There's no way she's going to tell me now."

"Ha!" Azula broke out in laughter, each sound a few pitches too high to be normal, "of _course_ I'm not fucking telling you now!"

Suddenly, Zuko's hand was between two of the cell's metal bars, grasping Azula around her throat. Small flames licked around her neck, and Jet could see the terror in her eyes.

"What's wrong, Azula?" Zuko said threateningly, "can't attack me back?"

She gagged and gasped for breath, her hands scratching uselessly at Zuko's to get him to let go.

Jet eyed his Fire Lord; Zuko looked extremely pissed. Hate and pain were all directed in Azula's direction, and for a moment Jet thought Zuko was actually about to kill her. He just looked so threatening and dark and...sexy.

Jet knew the reason Azula couldn't fight back, it was common knowledge; for people like Azula who were put away for being crazy, or even for criminals with bending abilities, they were administered a drug each morning and night to suppress their skills. Meaning? Azula's bending didn't work.

"F-fine," she sputtered, "I-I'll t-tell you, Jet!"

With a final glare, Zuko let go of her throat and she staggered backwards, falling against the cold stone wall behind her and rubbing her throat where the red finger-marks from Zuko's hand could be seen.

"Go ahead," Zuko said quietly, in a deathly whisper, "ask her what you wanted to know."

Jet thought about asking Zuko to leave the room, so he could keep it a surprise, but he could see the hatred and pain still on Zuko's face. This was something Zuko should hear too, he decided.

Jet nodded to Zuko, then turned to Azula determinedly, "Tell me, where is your mother?"

Azula's expression narrowed darkly and Zuko's changed to slight shock, but both were staring intensely at Jet.

* * *

In the next chapter: Azula informs Zuko and Jet of Ursa's location, and what exactly it means for someone who was banished from the Fire Nation. Then Jet and Zuko decide what to do from there.

Note thing: (well...zuko and jet DO travel with each other to find Ursa. Which means they spend a lot of time together. i have the basic outline of the events that happen and stuff, but as for the details, they occur as i go XD oh, and if Mai's suddenly due for birth when she shouldnt be, thats my fault. I didn't plan ahead when I said how pregnant she was, but I'll go back and edit the chapter that says it so it makes sense...lol. but yeah, just ignore that detail otherwise. know shes pregged. yeah. XD)


	10. Paid in Blood

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Avatar. Or the Jasmine Dragon. Iroh does. Well, he owns the Jasmine Dragon, not Avatar. No, I don't mean THE Avatar, I mean the show Avatar. Which I don't own. Well, I don't own THE Avatar either, but that's not what I'm referring to here. So don't sue me. No, not Mary Sue me, I mean sue me. Get it? Got it? Good.

Whaaah~ it's been for-effing-ever! I ish sooo sorry!

Well, here you go...enjoy^^;

And for those of you who don't know: This story is a SEQUEL. Please go read the first one .

* * *

"Tell me, where is your mother?" Jet stared at Azula determinedly, ignoring Zuko's shocked look from next to him.

Azula's expression darkened, her lips curving up in a vicious snarl, "When people are banished from the Fire Nation, they recieve a different punishment from those who have committed crimes or treason. Instead of being locked away, they are sent to a camp."

"Camp?" Zuko echoed in a whisper.

Azula broke out in a fit of laughter, stopped to cough, wiped blood from her lips, "A facility, a camp. Located way off the grid, my dear _brother_," the word was a sneer, "Outside of the Fire Nation, yet controlled by the Fire Nation. Those sent there are trapped, forced into labor and whatnot. Working everyday of their lives, for the rest of the nation. Farming, metalwork, you name it. Torturous labor, murderous hours. It may sound like nothing more then an unpaid job, but they are treated in the ways that they deserve to be treated; like utter shit."

There was a roar from Zuko, and suddenly his arm was between the bars, his hand once again gripping Azula by the collar, "My mother does not deserve to be treated that way!"

Azula smiled tauntingly, "_Our_ mother."

Zuko's brow narrowed and he jerked his arm back, sliding Azula face-first into the metal bars. Leaning in, he stared directly into her crazed eyes and spoke, enunciating every word, "She is not _your_ mother. Don't you _ever_ claim her as such again."

"Zuko," Jet placed an arm on his shoulder, "just ignore her comments. It's the information we need. Nothing else matters."

Reluctantly, Zuko released her; she fell back, clutching at her throat. Her eyes seemed to be locked on something far behind either of the men standing before her. "He is coming," she smiled, gazing into the distance, "he is coming!" Giggles escaped from her mouth, her eyes rolling around as if uncontrollable.

"What is she talking about?" Zuko asked.

Jet frowned, "I don't know," he kneeled down across from Azula, "What camp do you speak of?"

She silenced herself, staring at Jet with her head bent over one shoulder, "There is only one camp. She is there. She is still there."

"It doesn't make sense," Zuko was looking at his shoes, "if she was locked away in some labor camp, as soon as the Fire Nation was defeated, they should have all been released."

Azula jumped to her feet, "You'd think so, wouldn't you, my darling Zuzu!" her head fell back as she screamed in fury, "but that's not the fucking case, is it!" she clawed at the bars, "No, no it's not! That's not the case at all! Zuzu and Jetty don't understand, but Azula knows! Oh, Azula knows!" she shook the bars, "He's here! I see him! He's here, _behind you!_"

Jet and Zuko whirled around in fear, assumed a fighting stance, and stared down the dark hallway. There was no one.

Azula burst out in laughter behind them, "So easy! The two of you! So easy! Azula fooled you though! You thought someone was there! You may not understand, but I do! I know! Azula knows all about the camp! Azula and Daddy know! Why does no one else understand? No one else can ever understand! Because no one else knows! No one else has found it! How could they all be released if no one will come to rescue them?"

"I don't understand!" Zuko slammed his fist against the bars, "What are you talking about?"

"No one can know. It's a secret. But I know and Daddy knows. Those who are there know. Sometimes people are sent to deliver messages or bring the next victim," her smile widened, "but they aren't allowed to leave. Once you go there, you cannot leave. The victims cannot leave. The banished cannot leave. The guards in charge cannot leave. Sometimes a year would go by before they saw another outsider. They will not chance leaving. If no one tells them they can leave, they will not chance leaving. Some have tried, oh how some have tried," she licked her lips, "Azula knows what has happened to those who have tried! Daddy punishes them! Sometimes Azula gets to help! Oh how I love to help! Some have tried to leave! Azula knows how they have been punished! Oh, how they have been punished! They will not leave! They cannot leave!" she laughed, "And how should they know to leave if no one tells them they can? They will never chance leaving. They will stay. They will stay and wait because it is better then the punishment if they try to leave. But no one will tell them to leave. Because no one knows. Only Azula and Daddy know! No one else knows! And so they will never leave! And so they will wait and the camp will continue to be run and no one will try to leave and no one will chance to be punished and so no one will leave and no one will tell them to leave and so they will continue to wait and to wait and they will continue to wait as long as they live!"

She fell to the floor in a fit of laughter, as though she had just told the funniest joke ever.

"Where is the camp, Azula?" Zuko's voice was serious, pissed yet calm, and forceful. Jet could see the pain and anxiety laced around his eyes. He was so close to finding the location of his mother, but by the sounds of things, it would take a while to retrieve her.

She regained her composure and sat up, crossing her legs and positioning herself as thought it was time to meditate, "There is a land which is owned by no Earth Kingdom, no Water Tribe, no Air Nomad, and no Fire Nation. A land where not many know it exists, and those who do know of it, have all been killed or kept there. Father made sure it remained secret. A point west of the Fire Nation, east of the Earth Kindom. Unmapped, unchartered. Bordered with rock cliffs so that if you do pass it by, there seems no way to climb to the top, without superb earthbending skills. Father made pathways around the island, of course, all hidden," she cocked her head, "I can give you directions there, if you'd like."

"Just like that? No strings attached?" Zuko eyed her suspiciously.

"You _are _my brother after all. Why _wouldn't_ I tell you? Of course, who knows how reliable my information is..."

Zuko sighed in frustration, "What do you want, Azula?"

She licked her lips, "Your blood."

Jet raised a brow, "You're not getting that. Name something else."

She shrugged, "Unfortunatly, that's all I want. Unless you'd rather kill him, set me free, or give me my crown."

"This is ridiculous," Jet stepped forward, "Zuko is not going to bottle his blood for you."

"How much of my blood?"

Jet looked at Zuko in surprise. The Fire Lord's face was set in determination; Jet had gotten him this far, and he was going to see it through.

"Oh, not much," she pushed to her feet, "I just want to make you bleed." She stretched her pointed fingertips towards him, waggling them in anticipation.

"Fine," Zuko approached the bars, pulling his shirt over his head as he did so, "make it quick."

"Zuko," Jet reached out to stop him, but Zuko shook him off and grasped the bars.

"She can cut me if she wishes. It's worth it to find her."

Jet watched as Azula stepped towards Zuko, stretching her hands past the bars, resting the tips of her nails on his collarbone. His face was hidden from Jet's view, but Jet could see Zuko's back muscles tense as Azula pressed her nails into his flesh, drawing blood.

Her fingers slid down Zuko's chest, to his abs, leaving thin red trails behind. She looked up into his eyes, smiled darkly, reared her hand back, then slashed it across Zuko's face. Zuko cried out, the force of her attack causing him to step back a few feet, bumping into Jet who had immediatly rushed to his side.

"Are you okay?"

Azula's manic laughter erupted once again, this time as she licked the blood off her fingertips.

"I'm fine." He started to shove Jet away, but stopped when he saw the concern for him shining in the tanner man's eyes. His heart quickened for a second, and he allowed Jet to pry his hand away from his cheek.

"She got you deep," Jet lightly touched the scratches along Zuko's face and torso, judging the damage.

Zuko tried his best not to blush at Jet's touch; even though they had both agreed to be only friends, that didn't stop Zuko from feeling the way he did.

Taking a deep breath, Zuko slowed his heartrate and gently pushed Jet away, "It's not important right now," he stepped toward the cell once again, making eye contact with Azula as she continued to laugh and clean her hands, "you got your blood. Now tell me where the island is."

She paused, one bloody finger still resting inside her mouth, and smiled, "Very well, brother. But I shall only say it once, so do try to pay attention, won't you?"

* * *

Zuko craned his neck back, squinting up at the sky.

"So what's next?" asked Jet from his side.

They had walked from the asylum in silence, wandering around the streets of Ba Sing Se until Zuko decided to settle himself on a parkbench in an extravagent garden. Unfortunatly, Zuko's shirt was back on, the faint red of blood staining the spots where it seeped through. The scratches across Zuko's unburned cheeck were a raw red color, and did nothing more then make Jet itch to kiss them better.

"We need to find a boat."

"You're the Fire Lord. I don't think that'll be too hard."

Zuko nodded, "It would be easy. But sending word back home will take a long time in itself, not to mention waiting for my ride to pick me up here."

Jet frowned, "I'm going to ignore the fact that you didn't include me in that until we figure out this boat thing."

Zuko glanced at him, "I'm going to see if the Earth King will lend me a crew. Unfortunatly, it'll be hard to convince him; for one thing, I'm still not all that loved. And for another, it's always dangerous sailing through unchartered waters. I don't know if he'll consider the _possibility_ of finding my mother worth that risk."

"You should talk to Iroh. The Earth King likes him," Jet pointed out.

Zuko shook his head, "No, he would never let me go. He'd say we should send others to do that job. Besides, he'll lecture me on how I must return to the Fire Nation and help my people. I can't stay away for too long, I understand that, and the journey to rescue my mother can take anywhere from weeks to a few months. I really _should_ be getting back soon, I have a Nation that needs me, but I can't just ignore what we've learned. Not to mention that Mai will be expecting soon."

Jet swallowed the jealousy that had risen to his throat, "So you're going to go to the Earth King yourself?"

"I think it's my only option. No one will help me unless it's by the King's word, and I won't sit back and wait as others attempt to rescue her. I need to see her as soon as possible. I need to know that she's still..." he furrowed his brow, "that she isn't..."

Jet placed an arm around Zuko, leaning the firebender into his embrace, "She's alive, Zuko. You will find her, and you will save her. And I don't care how much you bitch that I'm not going with you, I am. It was my idea, my gift to you. I'm going."

Zuko laughed, "I think I would actually like that, Jet."

Jet's brow raised in happy surprise.

"Jet?"

"Mm?"

"I thought we agreed to just be friends."

"We did. I'm going to be going with you, _as your friend._"

Zuko laughed again, his body shaking with each breath, "That's not what I'm talking about."

Jet frowned, "Then...?"

"Your arm," Zuko sat up, "don't you think it's a bit odd if two guys are cuddling like that?"

Jet rolled his eyes, his mouth curved into a half-smile, "I was comforting you, asshole."

"You were groping me," Zuko pointed out playfully.

Jet laughed, shaking his head, "Friends can comfort each other like that."

"Yeah," Zuko smiled cockily, but lovingly, "_gay_ friends."

Jet rolled his eyes, and smiled back.

* * *

heh, so wats better, the first story where jet and zuko always acted like they hated each other, or this one where theyre all friendly and stuff :3

Coming up Next~  
To the Earth King! Zuko and Jet need to find a crew to take them to the island...BEFORE Iroh finds out what they're up to and sends Zuko back home. (bad Fire Lord, neglecting his country like that. naughty naughty zuzu. Jet shall punish you now... xD)

Note thing: (well...zuko and jet DO travel with each other to find Ursa. Which means they spend a lot of time together. i have the basic outline of the events that happen and stuff, but as for the details, they occur as i go XD oh, and if Mai's suddenly due for birth when she shouldnt be, thats my fault. I didn't plan ahead when I said how pregnant she was, but I'll go back and edit the chapter that says it so it makes sense...lol. but yeah, just ignore that detail otherwise. know shes pregged. yeah. XD)


	11. An Audience with the Earth King

I havent updated in forever! IM SO SORRY YOU MUST ALL HATE ME!

*silence*

omg...are all my fans gone? D: lol i wouldnt blame you guys if you were...

It's been forever...do people still read Avatar: TLA fanfiction?

Do people still read Avatar: TLA ZukoxJet fics?

I DONT EVEN KNOW ANYMORE *spazzspazz*

Anyways, sorry sorry sorry its been like, YEARS (not really)

but here it is...

and just because it's sooo long...i will put a lotta disclaimers in case i forget to put them in future chapters (yus, future chapters, meaning i DO plan to keep writing this...if anyone even reads it anymore...hello? lol?)

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender. Nor do I own the first airbender.

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender. If I did, Zuko would be a drag queen. Just for fun.

Disclaimer: I do NOT have the right to claim Avatar: the Last Airbender. Any claim I make or act upon may be held against me in the court of Lord Ozai.

* * *

"Relax and let me do the talking."

Zuko rolled his eyes, "The thought of you doing the talking doesn't do much to help me relax."

Jet held back a laugh, "What the hell is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Do I really need to explain it to you?"

"Fine, then find some other way to relax. You're way too tense."

"I'm sitting here waiting for an audience with the Earth King to decide if I'll be able to search for my mother. I'm allowed to be tense."

Jet glanced at the door to their left, then surveyed the empty throne-room, "You want me to help you relax?"

"I want you to stop talking and shut your mouth so you quit bothering me."

Jet laughed, "I don't have to talk to help you relax. I do, however, need to open my mouth. "

Zuko glared at him from the corner of his eye, "I imagine you mean that in a very perverted way."

"Oh good, so you're thinking about it too?"

Before Zuko could tell Jet to shove it, the door swung open and a group of people entered. The Fire Lord and his Earth Kingdom sidekick jumped to their feet, bowing their heads in respect of the procession.

Guards walked the Earth King to his throne, then took their place on either side of him. A Scribe sat behind the King and to the left, while a young boy sat behind and to the right.

"I'm terribly sorry about the wait," the King waved his hand as he sat, giving the signal that it was okay for Zuko and Jet to take their seats as well, "it seems Bosco has developed something of a cold."

Jet nodded in the direction of the four-year-old, who was rubbing at his eyes and sniffling, "I hope you feel better soon."

The Earth King looked shocked for a moment, the boy surprised, and then chuckles escaped from the King's lips, "Oh, no my dear boy, this is my son, Tarrin. Bosco is my pet bear."

Jet's face turned red, "Oh, I, um, my apologies, your highness."

"And you wondered what I meant when I said thinking of you doing the talking makes me more tense," Zuko muttered.

Jet held his tongue and elbowed the Firebender.

"Well, enough small talk. What is it you have come here to request of me?"

Zuko took a deep breath and stood, "Sir, I have come here to request to borrow a ship and a crew."

The Earth King furrowed his brow, "Do you not have command of an entire nation? Why must you request my men?"

Zuko bit his lip, "There is something urgent I wish to attend to, and sending word back to my nation, having them assemble a crew, and then waiting for them to come pick me up would put me back a week or so." He left out the part about how everyone he knew would do everything they could to try to stop him if they found out; Iroh would say to send others, Mai would say she needs him for the baby...

"Hm," the Earth King stood and motioned for one of his guards, "Fire Lord Zuko, what is your mission?"

"I wish to visit an island and see if there is a camp there. Someone I know was taken away before I claimed my nation, and I have reason to believe she is being held captive with many others. I wish to go and see for myself—"

"Sir," the guard who had been called over interrupted, "We looked over his request. The waters are uncharted, untraveled," he handed the Earth King a map, jabbing a finger at it, "no one, as far as we know, dared to travel through them. We have no way of knowing where rocks are, where the current is too strong. To send our men out there would be dangerous and foolish. I must insist that you decline; after all, he can still gather his own men. He can be patient enough for that, I'm sure. What is waiting a few days or a week, in comparison to maybe finding someone you care about?"

The Earth King sighed, "I'm sorry, Lord Zuko, but Tao is correct. I do not wish to send my men out on so dangerous a mission, when it is still very possible for you to use your own. It would be different had my men been the only option for you."

"Sir, please," Zuko took a few steps forward, causing Jet to slowly rise to his feet behind him, "if I attempt to gather my own men, my nation will step in to stop me."

"Then they are smart. They would do well not to lose their Fire Lord to something like this."

Zuko shook his head, "You don't understand. I've been waiting for so long for this information. I need to go myself. I need to be there. I can't sit at home waiting for my men to send back word about this; not about this," Zuko looked pleadingly into the King's eyes, "It's my mother. She was taken from me when I was just a child. And I think I've finally found her. Her and many others who were cast out from my nation. I have to go. I have to be there myself."

The King sighed, "Lord Zuko, my apologies, but—"

"Look," Zuko dropped to his knees, "I know I've made so many mistakes. I know I've cost your Kingdom a great deal, caused you much pain, but I'm doing my best to right the world. I'm doing my best to fix it. My mother, she is a wonderful person. I need her wisdom and advice. I need her so I can be strong enough to help rebuild this world that my own family destroyed."

"Please," Jet spoke up in almost a whisper, stepping forward and placing a hand on Zuko's shoulder, "All we ask of you is a ship and a few men. We can do most of the work ourselves."

The Earth King looked torn; he sighed, "I will discuss the issue with Tao. Please wait outside; I will have you summoned once my decision is made."

"Thank you, Sir, for your time," Jet bowed his head slightly, then lifted Zuko to stand and gave him a pull in the right direction. The Fire Lord seemed out of it, straining to fight tears away at the idea of being so close to seeing his mother.

Two guards held the doors open for them, then closed them as they passed through.

"Are you okay?" Jet raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"You don't look fine."

Zuko frowned, "I'm worried he'll say no."

"It won't matter. You can always send your own men. She will be saved, Zuko. You don't have to worry about that."

"I know," he offered a small smile, "I know that I can always send my own men. But I want to be there, Jet."

"I know you do."

"And also, I'm terrified."

"What do you mean?" he placed a hand under Zuko's chin, lifting his gaze to eye-level.

"We got the information from Azula. She's not exactly the most reliable source..."

"Yeah, she isn't," Jet smiled, "but I think she was actually telling the truth this time, Zuko. As crazy and impossible as that sounds, I don't think Azula was lying this time."

"I hope you're right."

"I'm always right," Jet chuckled, "but just in case, let's not mention to the Earth King that we aren't sure whether this island even exists or not. I don't think it will help our case that much."

Zuko rolled his eyes, "Gee, you think?"

Jet opened his mouth to reply, then sighed; Zuko suddenly had that tortured look on his face again.

"What is it?"

"What if Azula was right, but, we're too late?"

There was nothing Jet could say. He had been thinking the exact same thing.

"It's been five years, Jet, five years since anyone has visited the island. They're all still waiting there, but what if they _need _people to visit. What if they have no more food or water? What if there was a natural disaster, or a plague to wipe them out? What if we get there and all we find are bones? What if—"

Jet shut him up with a kiss.

Zuko didn't move his lips from Jet's when he asked, "Jet, what the hell are you doing?"

Jet smiled into his kiss, "How many times have I done this and you still don't know what it is?"

"I meant _why,_ Jet. I thought we talked about just being friends."

"Friends with benefits?"

Zuko rolled his eyes, "No, Jet, _just friends._"

"You don't seem like you really want that."

"And why do you say that?"

"Because your lips are still against mine."

Zuko blushed, pulling away and removing his lips from Jet's, "I was just, um, trying to get a point across."

"What point, Zuko? That you secretly want me?"

"Seriously? Are you trying to get me to hate you again? So soon after we've finally become friends and learned to get along?"

Jet laughed, "That was the most fake 'heartfelt speech' I've ever heard."

Zuko grinned, "I wasn't trying to be heartfelt."

"Yeah, whatever."

"I wasn't," he shook his head, "look, we are just friends. That's it. I'm married to Mai and have a family with her. I'm the Fire Lord. You're just my Earth Kingdom sidekick."

"Sidekick?" Jet smirked, "I'll show you a sidekick," he lifted his leg to demonstrate, but stopped as the doors swung open.

The guards stepped back to allow them entry, and Zuko shot a worried glance at Jet; he really hoped the Earth King would help him, and save him from all the trouble of using his own men. Jet was holding his hand out to him for support, but Zuko ignored it, and kept from rolling his eyes. As if he could walk back in front of the Earth King holding Jet's hand, the idiot.

"You've made your decision?" Zuko asked, taking his place before the King.

He nodded, "I understand what you must be going through, and why you wish to rush out as soon as possible to avoid your Nation from stopping you. A mother is something that no one should have to lose, let alone abandon in a time when she needs you. I do not know all the details of this mission, other then the course your travel will take. I have, however, decided to lend you a ship and a small crew."

Zuko's eyes widened.

"But there are conditions," the King raised a hand to keep Zuko and Jet from interrupting, "Tao will be completely in charge of this quest; you will listen to and follow everything he says. I will send as few men as possible, which means that the two of you will have to work twice as hard to navigate the waters and sail the ship. I will also not allow my men to get closer then 100 yards to this island. We do not know what awaits us on it, and I will not put their lives in any extra danger; traveling through these unknown waters is foolish enough. Therefore, if you will need the assistance of any Earth Benders, you will have to locate a volunteer by tomorrow. As for the island itself, the two of you will search it on your own, within a time limit of 48 hours. Once the time limit is up, my men will return here without you, and the most I will do from that point on is to send word to the Fire Nation so they can send a rescue crew. Is this clear?"

"It is understood and accepted," Zuko swallowed hard, "Thank you, your highness."

"I will have the crew ready tomorrow morning. Please do be at the docks by dawn, and pack lightly. Oh, and Lord Zuko," the Earth King smiled, "I do wish you much luck in locating your mother."

Zuko smiled back, "Thank you, Sir."

* * *

woot, the story is finally going somewhere. and awww the Earth King had a kid too! Litte Tarrin. cute, ne?

lol cough. anyways.

in the next chapter (i swear i will make a next chapter...): Zuko and Jet set sail to the island! dundundunnnn~ It's gonna be a chapter that takes place over a few days...cuz, you know, it takes a few days to get there. dotdotdot. cough. erm. yes.

and then it will get exciting b/c they will be searching an island together. will they find what they are looking for? did azula lie? or tell the truth? will everyone be alive? or dead? will zuko's mom even BE there?

will zuko and jet get mauled by some crazy fangirl-um, beast?

will the sunsets be all tropical and the temperature all humid and zuko and jet will hafta take their clothes off from the heat and then enjoy the sunsets together while their sexy muscles glisten from the moisture in the air and birds are chirping and then the sun sets and they just cant keep their hands off each other anymore and...

sorry. *wipes bloody nose*

see you guys next time^^


	12. Journey to the Island

Sorry guys, I know this chapters pretty uneventful but they hadda do all the dang traveling and stuff :/

Again, I remind you that Mai's due date may randomly be later or earlier then it should, because I didn't plan that part out when I wrote how pregnant she was in the begining~ lol

Also, I would totally update faster but it feels like no1 even reads these anymore so...if you're still out there, let me know^^;

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. Although if I did, maybe the movie wouldn't have sucked so much.

***please excuse the ugly dividers. Fanfiction deletes whatever divider I use when I submit a document, but it won't let me submit any edits to the page afterwards. Go figure.***

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Zuko stared out at the water, watching the reflection of the moon shimmer and distort in the waves.

"You okay?" Jet came up behind him, patting the Fire Lord gently on the shoulder before leaning against the railing next to him.

"I feel anxious, impatient."

"Sounds about right."

Zuko sighed, lowering his chin to rest on the metal rail, "Maybe I'm not strong enough for this. Maybe I should have sent others to the island."

"It's only the first day since we've set sail, Zuko. It's natural that you're going to have these questioning feelings."

"What if Azula lied?"

"I already told you, I honestly don't think she—"

"It's not that," Zuko straightened himself and stared down into the dark water, "I just don't want to endanger the crew if she's leading us into some sort of trap."

Jet's eyes found the place Zuko's were boring into, and he let his own gaze get lost within the depths, "The crew is going to stay away from the island for that reason. Don't worry about them. When we get there, you and I will find our way, and everything will be fine."

"I'm not surprised no Earthbenders would agree to help us. Not after I explained the situation to them."

Jet laughed, "Well, you didn't have to be so honest. You could have left out the parts about it being dangerous."

Zuko frowned at him, "I'm the Fire Lord, Jet. I think that would get me a bad reputation."

Jet shrugged, cocked a smile, "Where's the Avatar when you need him, huh?"

Zuko shook his head, "Off signing treaties or bringing peace or something monk-ish."

Jet laughed, slid over so his shoulder was touching Zuko's, "The ocean looks pretty tonight."

Zuko eyed the waves, "It looks black and deadly."

"Way to kill the moment."

Zuko's mouth twitched into a smile.

"Is everything alright, Fire Lord Zuko?" a voice asked from behind.

Zuko and Jet turned to see Tao, the General that the Earth King had placed in charge of the mission.

"Yeah, just…"

"Excited," Jet finished for him.

"I'm sure," he looked Zuko up and down, "Seeing your mother again…" he frowned at the expression on Zuko's face, "Fire Lord Zuko, are there any concerns you wish to share with me before our ship gets any closer to this mysterious island of yours?"

Zuko met his gaze, trying hard to bite his lip.

"You don't look well."

"I'm just a bit seasick, that's all," he took a few steps, then turned back, "there are no concerns. Come on Jet, let's get some sleep. We must navigate again in the morning." He turned and headed off.

Jet looked at Tao, "He's just excited."

"I hope so. After all, I would hate for something to happen to the crew," Tao furrowed his brow, "and I'm sure the Fire Nation would hate the repercussions as well."

Jet stared him down for a moment, them smiled cockily, "If that's a threat, General, it's wasted on me. I'm from the Earth Kingdom." And with that he headed off, after Zuko.

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"Day three," Zuko mumbled into his lunch; they were taking a break in his cabin.

"I'm exhausted," Jet plopped himself on a cushion next to Zuko, "When they said we'd have to do extra work so no extra crew members were needed, I didn't think it would be _this_ much. I thought, okay, so we navigate and make sure everything's running smoothly. I had no idea we'd be running around all day in the sun, doing half of the actual ship shit ourselves. I mean, you _are_ the Fire Lord, so you'd think they wouldn't make us do _so_ much, you know? I mean, I have no problem with a hard day's work and all, but this is just—"

"Jet, will you shut up?" Zuko raised a brow in his direction, "listening to you complain is just making me more tired."

Jet pouted, "Jeez, you're cranky when you're made to lift a finger."

Zuko glared at him, ripped a hunk of bread from the loaf, and shoved it in his mouth.

"Are you gonna share?"

"No," he snatched the rest of the bread before Jet could, holding it behind him.

Jet laughed, "Zuko, come on. Fine, I'll shut up for the rest of the day. Just give me some food. I'm starved; I haven't eaten all day."

"Good, you'll get fat."

"Zuko, bread."

"Get your own."

"That _is_ mine."

"No."

"Zuko, dammit," Jet tried to reach around him, but couldn't get a good enough angle.

Zuko laughed, "You're really trying to take food away from the Fire Lord? Isn't my hunger more important then yours?"

Jet sat back, "Okay, first of all, I'm not trying to take food away from the Fire Lord. I'm trying to take it away from an ass."

Zuko rolled his eyes.

"And second of all, no, it's not," Jet lunged for the loaf again, knocking Zuko onto his back.

"Idiot, you almost crushed the bread," Zuko held it, arm straight out, parallel to the floor, and laughed.

"Is it seriously too much to ask for you to share some bread with your friend?"

"What friend?"

"Hmph."

Zuko blushed; he had just realized that Jet was straddling him, holding his arms in place with his knees, "Get off."

Jet smiled, "Share your food."

Zuko furrowed his brow, "You making a deal with me now or something?"

"Yeah, I'll get off if you give me some food," he leaned down, bringing his face to hover an inch or two from Zuko's, "Unless, of course, you don't want me to get off."

"What?" Zuko's face felt hot, so he turned his head to the side, "I just said to get off."

The corner of Jet's mouth turned up in a sly smile, "As you wish, Fire Lord Zuko," and he lifted himself off the other's chest.

Zuko sat up, flustered, and handed the loaf to Jet without making eye contact.

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"Day five, complete," Tao rolled the document he was reading and tucked it into his belt, "According the map you laid out for us, we're about halfway there."

Zuko swallowed hard, "Good."

Tao eyed him, "It's not too late to say something, Fire Lord Zuko, if you think there's something I should know."

He brought his eyes to level with Tao's, "No, there's nothing." _Just the thought that this might all have been a trap set up by Azula to, oh, I don't know, kill me?_ He was considering that option a lot these days.

Tao nodded respectfully, "Very well, Sir. I do, however, wish to ask how you plan to navigate the island. You have brought no Earthbenders with you, and from your earlier explanation, it seems you do not know the location of the paths that lead up the cliffs."

Zuko frowned, "No one wished to assist me, when I explained the mission in full. And as the Earth King stated, he will not order any Earthbenders to accompany Jet and I."

"A wise decision on his part, I am afraid," Tao looked at Zuko disdainfully, "after all, why should he sacrifice his own men when you have an entire nation's worth? You are lucky the Earth King is soft inside. If it were me, I would not be so open to letting someone from the Fire Nation use my men like this."

"It's clear you have little, if any, positive feelings towards me, _General_, but that is no excuse to so openly treat me with contempt. I appreciate everything the Earth King has done for me, and I fully understand the conditions which he set for this mission. Do not think that his kindness will go unrewarded."

Tao bowed his head, "My apologies, Fire Lord Zuko."

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"How you holding up?" Jet joined Zuko in his cabin, taking a seat on the floor beside his matted bed.

Zuko exhaled, sitting up, "I don't know. We've been traveling a week now. We should get there really soon. I just don't know…"

"It's all going to work out," Jet placed a hand on Zuko's shoulder, "I know it is. The island will be there, just like Azula said it would. You and I will go, find a pathway up the cliffs, and rescue everyone who's being held there, and your mother. She will be there, Zuko, and she's going to be so proud of all you've done, of all you've become."

Zuko clenched his jaw, closed his eyes, "I hope you're right, Jet."

"Haven't I told you?" Jet tugged on Zuko's shoulder, resting the Fire Lord's head against his own, "I'm always right."

He could feel Zuko's jaw muscles curve into a tiny smile.

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"Fire Lord Zuko," Tao pushed the cabin door open, stopping in surprise as he saw Jet, "Oh, I did not know you were in here too, Jet."

Jet offered a cocky smile, "Is that a problem?"

Tao ignored him and turned his attention back to Zuko, "After nine days, we have spotted land."

Zuko practically jumped to his feet to follow Tao out on deck, leaving Jet jogging to keep up behind them.

"Where?" Jet took his place along the rail and squinted into the distance, able to make out a thin strip of what appeared to be….cliffs.

"Azula was right," Zuko's voice was flooded with relief, "the island is here."

"It'll take until morning for us to arrive near enough. Remember, we aren't going any closer then 100 yards, so you and Jet will have to row out there yourselves."

"Understood," Zuko motioned to Jet, "we should get some provisions and supplies together. Nothing too heavy, but enough to help us find our way and last a few days."

"I'll get it on," Jet gave him a comforting smile, then headed off to collect their things for the morning.

"Remember, we're only waiting 48 hours. That means you have two days to get there, find your mother, and return to this ship. I won't wait a minute longer then I have to," he gave Zuko a look that clearly said he was serious, "If you miss the ship, it will take another nine days for us to return to the Earth Kingdom, then we will have to carry a message back to your nation, and it will still take them some time to come to your aid as well. So unless you would like to be stuck there with your," his mouth twitched in an amused smile, "_friend_,I suggest that you make haste."

Zuko raised a brow, ignoring the implication of the stressed word, "I will take however long it takes me. If I must wake a few weeks for my own ship to come, then I will do so gladly. I will search the entire island until I find her, and if I don't succeed by the time my own crew arrives, they will assist me. It is that simple. I will not give up; I will search until I find her."

Tao looked him over, nodded to himself, "As you should."

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"Everything's ready for the morning," Jet held up their packs as Zuko entered the cabin, "Are you okay?"

Zuko barely met Jet's gaze as he took a seat on his bed, "My stomach is bothering me."

"From what?" Jet took a seat next to him, "Excitement? Anticipation?"

"Dread."

Jet frowned, "Zuko, it's going to be fine. We'll find her and everyone and they'll all be fine. And your mother will be so happy to see you. There's nothing to dread."

"What if it's too late?"

Jet sighed, "This again? Zuko, please, it won't be too late, okay? Listen, when we get there—"

"Please stop," Zuko looked at him, "it's the same conversation over and over again. It won't help. This is the thought that's eating at me alive, and it's going to remain there until I find out…"

"Then what should I do, Zuko?" he looked at Zuko, eyes full of compassion, "I want to help."

"There's nothing you _can_ do. We just have to do our best tomorrow. Get a good night's sleep. I need to, too, if I can."

Jet leaned his head back, against the wall, "Do you want me to stay here tonight?"

Zuko looked at his hands, sighed, looked back at Jet, "Yeah, I would like that."


	13. The Ascent

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. I do not own the characters, either. I do, however, pwn them.

Such a delay between chapters, my apologies~

Again, I can't edit in fanfiction so I need to use crappy "xo" breaks between sections :/

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"Two days, Fire Lord Zuko, two days."

Zuko nodded, "I know. Thank you for the transportation, General Tao."

Tao replied with a wry smile, offering his hand.

Zuko took it, glanced over at Jet who was placing their packs in the small rowboat, and thanked the crew.

"You ready?" Jet reached for Zuko's hand, then decided against it.

Zuko smiled at Jet's attempted action, "Yeah, I'm ready. Let's go."

The crew watched the two board the small boat, them lowered them into the water below.

Jet reached for the paddles, but Zuko stopped him, "I'll do it."

"I don't mind."

"It's my mission. I can't just sit back and relax."

"It'll help distract you, won't it?"

"Yeah, a bit," Zuko switched seats with Jet, grasping the paddles in each hand, and began to row towards the island.

After a few minutes of watching the ripples from Zuko's paddling, Jet spoke, "Well, we should probably think of a plan."

Zuko raised his eyebrows at Jet, "If you think of one, let me know."

Jet rolled his eyes, "You have to think too; I have no idea where to start. Do we just circle the island until we find a path? I don't think there's going to be any signs around, pointing us in the right direction."

"We'll just find an area that's not as steep as the others."

Jet's brow shot up, "And then what? Climb it? In case you haven't noticed, we're not exactly Earthbenders. And we don't have equipment that'll get us up the side."

Zuko frowned, "You didn't think it was important to pack some?"

Jet tilted his head, "Oh, don't try to put this on me. You said to "pack light." So I gathered the basics; water, food, some rope and stuff."

"And stuff?"

"Okay fine, I didn't even consider bringing equipment for rock climbing. Happy?"

"Why the hell would that make me happy?"

Jet frowned, "You don't have to be difficult."

"Difficult? Difficult is what we're about to encounter on that island. I am not being difficult."

"Uh, yeah, you are."

Zuko glared at him.

Jet glared back.

"Well now that you screwed it all up, should we head back to the boat to find some? Or do you want to think of another way to scale the cliffs."

"Can't you just use firebending?"

"Firebending doesn't exactly move boulders around."

"You know, if you had just found an Earthbender to help us, we wouldn't be having such an issue."

Zuko huffed, "I _told _you, none wanted to come."

"Actually, now that I think about it, when the hell did you even go around asking for help?"

"There are things I do without your permission, you know."

Jet eyed him, "Yeah but…Zuko, did you even go ask for help?"

"Of course I did."

"And even though you're the Fire Lord, not one person volunteered?"

Zuko rolled his eyes, "Jet, how many times do I have to tell you—"

"Yeah, yeah, no one wanted to risk it. Just exactly how dangerous did you make it sound?"

"I told them the truth."

"You sure you didn't over-exaggerate it?"

"And why the hell would I do that?"

"Oh, I don't know," Jet smiled, "maybe you wanted to be alone with me?"

Zuko stared at him, pausing his rowing for a moment, "Are you on drugs?"

Jet smiled, "Well, I have an addiction to you."

Zuko shook his head, starting his rowing again, "You're an idiot."

"Yeah, but you love me."

Zuko attempted to hold back his laugh, "Stop being weird."

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"We're here," Jet ceased his paddling as the boat touched the sandy shore; he had taken over for Zuko about two-thirds of the way.

Zuko stepped out, grabbing the edge of the boat to pull it onto the shore.

"It's so hot here," Jet joined Zuko, lifting the packs out, "and really humid."

"Please don't start your complaining."

Jet shook his head with a laugh, "You're such an ass."

Zuko smiled, "Yeah, but you love me."

Jet laughed, facing his Fire Lord, "Yeah, I really do."

Zuko blushed, dropped his smile, "Uh, well, we should probably start our search. Once we get up the cliffs, we still have to locate the camp, so…"

"So," Jet tossed Zuko his pack, "let's haul some ass."

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"How about here?" Jet squinted up the rocks, "It's on a bit more of an angle then the other spots we looked at."

"The rocks look loose though."

"Yeah, but at least them falling means we have some footholds," Jet pointed to the spots where rock had already dislodged, "It's better then trying to scale the flat sides."

"You might be right," Zuko bit his lip, "I'll test it out."

"I'll test it."

Zuko frowned, "What, you don't think I can do it?"

Jet cocked a brow, "I just don't want you getting hurt."

"I'm not that pathetic and weak, Jet."

"Hey, don't start bitching at me."

"I do _not_ bitch!"

Jet opened his mouth to reply, then started laughing, "I missed this."

Zuko shook his head, rubbing his forehead, "We'll just _both_ test it, okay?"

"Uh, sure, but you know that it's not really a _test_ if we do that."

"Jet, just shut up," Zuko tightened his pack, turned to the cliff, and placed his foot in the first gap.

"Want me to give you a boost?"

"Get your hands off my ass, Jet."

"Sorry," his smile was taunting, "I was just trying to help."

"Yeah, that's what you were doing."

Jet laughed, "Stop bitching and concentrate on the cliff."

After Zuko got a few feet above the first foothold, Jet began his climb, following Zuko's path until he was able to pull himself up alongside the Firebender.

"Are we there yet?"

Zuko ignored the annoying question.

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"Don't look down, okay?"

"Jet, why the hell would you even say that? It just makes me want to look down more."

Jet was breathing heavily beside him, "Yeah, well, I looked down and now I really regret it. Plus, my arms are on fire. I need to rest."

Zuko grunted as he pulled himself up another few inches, "I do too, but there's no place."

Jet squinted up, "There, a bit to your left. The ledge is small, but we should be able to fit if we sit still."

Zuko followed Jet's gaze, "Alright, let's go for it," and began working himself sideways, heading for the ledge.

The two reached it, gasping for air, clutching onto the rocks around them and staying as still as possible; if they moved too much there was a chance they'd fall off the small area.

"How far do you think we are?" Jet asked.

Zuko leaned forward as much as the ledge permitted; looking down at the distance they climbed, then up towards the top, "We're probably about halfway."

Jet cursed, closing his eyes and tilting his head back against the rock wall, "At this rate we won't make it until nightfall."

"Well we don't have a choice. It's not like we can camp here for the night."

"I need some water," Jet carefully slipped his pack from his shoulders, pulling out a canteen, "want some?"

"You first."

Jet nodded, uncorking the bottle and taking a few gulps before passing it to Zuko. Two or three sips later, he handed it back.

"That's all you want?"

"Don't want to have to pee when I'm climbing."

"Ah, shit."

Zuko raised a brow, "You have to go, don't you?"

"Yeah, sorta."

Zuko shook his head, then swept his hand out before them, "Go ahead."

"You want me to pee off the ledge?"

"I don't _want_ you too, but if you gotta go you gotta go."

Jet craned his neck to look down, "How am I supposed to pee when I'm gonna be terrified of falling off?"

"Jet, I'm not giving you a lesson here. Just go."

Jet bit his lip, "Fine, fine. Don't look, okay?"

Zuko cocked his head, "Jet, you've tried to grope me like eighty times since I've known you and you're embarrassed to pee in front of me?"

Jet frowned, "I'm peeing off a ledge here. I don't need the extra pressure."

"Will you just pee already? We need to get back to climbing or we'll be stuck on the edge in the dark."

"Yeah, I will, just look away."

Zuko rolled his eyes.

"Unless you _want_ to see what I've got in here," Jet used a hand to start undoing the knot on his pants.

Zuko blushed, turning his head away quickly, "Alright, I'm looking away, I'm looking away."

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"Zuko," Jet grunted, "faster."

Zuko clenched his jaw, "How much faster do you expect me to go? I feel like I'm going to explode."

"Harder then, work harder."

"Easy for you to say, you're not the one on top."

"It doesn't make a difference," Jet moaned, "Zuko…"

"Crap."

"What?"

Zuko glanced down at Jet, "There's no more footholds."

"What?" Jet clutched the rock wall harder, "There has to be. Maybe we need to shift over."

"Jet…the rock is perfectly flat in either direction."

Jet looked up, and sure enough the rocks were smooth and gapless, "But we're so close to the top. And night is closing in. What do we do?"

"I'm thinking."

He stared at his knuckles, white from the strain of holding on, then glanced down at Jet, pain showing on his face. It was amazing that they had made it this far; almost impossible. He focused on the distance they had left; if it had been a hole in the ground he could jump that distance with a bit of help from his firebending. Was there a way he could use that here?

His father and sister were able to propel themselves around using fire; his father had even mastered it into a form of flight, so why couldn't he?

The only problems were one; he usually needed a running start and from the position he was in, that seemed impossible, two; he had only ever been able to do it for small distances, and three; Jet was there, too.

He closed his eyes, envisioning the fire shooting from his feet, pushing him upward until he was able to grab onto the top edge. He envisioned it again, imagining letting go from where he was now, dropping to Jet's level, then kicking flames from his heels and pulling Jet with him to the top. It was risky; could he do it?

"Zuko?" Jet's voice was strained.

Zuko was breathing deeply, concentrating on moving all the warmth in his body to his legs, down them to his feet. Jet started as fire sparked from Zuko's soles.

"Jet, do you trust me?"

Jet met Zuko's gaze, unsure of what he was planning, forced a small smile, "Do I have a choice right now?" Zuko smiled, and then to Jet's horrible surprise, let go of the wall.

Almost in slow motion Jet saw Zuko's body falling towards him, past him. Pain shot through his heart; the fear of losing the person he loved blinded him. He didn't see the fire kick on, the flames gather around his Fire Lord's feet, only felt warmth rise up from below, arms encircle him, ripping him from the wall, air pushing down on him as he was rushed upwards; then he was above the top of the cliff, the warmth faded back into the cool of the night, and he was falling, arms still holding him tight until impact from hitting the rocky top of the cliffs ripped one from the other, and his vision cut out, enveloping him in darkness.


End file.
